It all started with Henry
by kobitah
Summary: This is another story I wrote AGES ago. Starts with Henry and goes for awhile. Please read and review. H/P as per usual.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I keep finding all of these stories on my hard drive. This is just a fun sorta one that I wrote after my best friend had a kid. I had this situation where I was baby-sitting for a whole weekend. I couldn't get him to settle and called up my guy friend who must've had the midas touch or something. Anyway, it inspired this story. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Hotch was sitting on his couch looking through case files when his cell started buzzing. It was a message from Emily. _Help! Can you please come over?! _Hotch jumped up off the couch, grabbed his gun, badge, and keys and took off. He was at Emily's door within 10 minutes. The door opened and Emily stood on the other side, dressed in her work clothes, covered in some sort of liquid and her hair was a mess. Hotch laughed. "Uh, you need help?" he said. Emily grabbed him by the tie and pulled him into the apartment. "I offered to baby-sit Henry for JJ and Will. He hasn't stopped crying. I don't know what to do!" she cried. Hotch chuckled. "Alright. Uh where is he?" Hotch asked, walking into the lounge. Henry was on the floor, crying and throwing toys around the room. Hotch walked in and picked Henry up off the floor. He stopped crying for a moment and Emily smiled. Soon enough he started crying again. "Uh, have you tried feeding him?" Hotch asked, simultaneously cooing Henry. Emily nodded. "I've tried strained spinach, meat and vegetables…I don't know what to do!" she cried. "Alright, let's try feeding him again," Hotch said, "You take him. I'll get the food ready." Emily took Henry and cuddled him. "Cmon buddy. Please stop crying," she pleaded. Hotch smiled when he saw her reflection in the microwave. Emily sat on the couch and tried to play peek-a-boo. "I don't do little kids. I wait until they're old enough to take shopping or have intelligent conversations with," Emily explained. "Don't you want kids?" Hotch asked. Emily glared at him. "Of course I do. I'm a woman…apparently it's supposed to be part of our DNA," she answered sarcastically.

The microwave beeped and Hotch pulled the bowl out, carried it over to the lounge, and sat on the floor. Emily picked Henry up and held him while Hotch tried to feed him. Hotch spooned some of the mush and put it in front of Henry. He grabbed onto the spoon and flicked the food into Hotch's face. Emily cracked up laughing and Henry laughed along. Hotch smiled and stood up. He carried the bowl to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of face wipes. "So I guess he just wants some entertainment," Hotch said, returning to the lounge and wiping Henry's face. He looked at Emily and smiled. They sat there for a moment, looking at each other. Henry managed to slip the wipe out of Hotch's hand and threw it at him, laughing. Emily laughed and Hotch smiled. "Hey, do you want me to entertain him while you go and have a shower?" Hotch asked. Emily nodded. "I would _love _that," she answered. Hotch reached out and took Henry from Emily and watched as she made her way up the stairs.

Ten minutes later, Emily made her way back down, dressed in cargo shorts and a singlet. Hotch was lying on his side, playing with Henry on the floor. He was still crying but not screaming anymore. Hotch looked up and smiled. "Feel better?" he asked. Emily nodded and sat down next to him. "He hasn't stopped crying?" she said. Hotch shook his head. "He'll eventually get tired and just crash," Hotch assured her. Emily smiled and lay down in front of Henry. Soon enough, Henry lay down and fell asleep. Hotch gently picked him up and Emily led him upstairs to the spare room where they'd set up Henry's port-a-cot. Hotch lay him down and Emily covered him with a blanket and put his dummy in.

They quietly made their way back downstairs and Hotch crashed on the lounge. "So where are they tonight?" Hotch asked while she picked up the toys. Emily shrugged. "They said something about a movie but my guess is a night on their own at home," she replied, gesturing for him to move his legs. He lifted them and when she sat down and lay back, he put his feet on her lap. She chuckled. "Thanks for helping me tonight Hotch," she said. He smiled and grunted. Eventually they both fell asleep.

* * *

"Emily," JJ called out, using her key to let herself in. She walked into the apartment and found Hotch and Emily lying on the couch, fast asleep. Hotch had his legs up on the couch and Emily was curled in a ball, leaning on Hotch. She laughed and walked upstairs. When she got back downstairs, Emily had woken up. "Hey," she whispered to JJ, gesturing towards the kitchen. "How was your night?" she asked. "How was yours…no wait. First question: what's Hotch doing here?" JJ smiled and winked. Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly. I texted him last night when _your _son wouldn't stop crying. He helped me settle him and when he went to sleep we just crashed. It's nothing like _that_," she answered. JJ nodded her head and smiled. "Alright. We'd better get going back to Daddy. I'll pick up the rest of the stuff later," JJ said. Emily nodded and walked them to the door. After she said goodbye she put some clothes in the washing machine and gently closed the door. She went into the kitchen and started cleaning up the bowl and spoon from the night before.

She thought Hotch could use the sleep, even on a couch, so she grabbed her keys and walked down the street to get coffee and muffins. When she got back, he still wasn't awake. She went into the kitchen and pulled out a couple of plates and mugs, poured the coffee, and put the food on the table. With the clanking of the cutlery, Hotch woke up. It took him awhile to remember where he was but once he got his bearings he sat up. "Hey, you're awake," Emily said. "Yeah. Wow that was a good sleep," he replied, standing up. "So…" he said, nervously looking around. "Uh, I picked up some coffee and muffins from down the street. I mean, if you want breakfast. As a thank-you for last night," Emily said, hoping to reduce the discomfort but failing miserably. Hotch smiled and nodded. "Breakfast would be great," he replied.

They sat at the table and got started on the food. "So do you have plans for today?" Hotch asked Emily. She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Every Sunday that we're in town, Morgan and I meet for a run down by reserve. Then we normally go out for dinner. Sometimes, during the season, we have a football night. What have you got? Paperwork?" she asked. Hotch smiled. "No. I don't always do paperwork. I have stuff…" he said defensively. Emily smiled. "Ok, so what fun things do you have planned for your Sunday?" she asked. "Oh really exciting stuff. I thought I'd call my mom and have her scold me down the phone for not calling enough, or for failing my brother. Then I thought I'd relax with a few beers, in front of the television, by myself," he answered. Emily smiled. "You should come to dinner. Morgan's bringing Tamara tonight," Emily said. Hotch frowned, "Who's Tamara?" Emily took a sip of coffee. "Morgan's been dating her for awhile now. I've met her a couple of times. She's really nice," Emily answered. Hotch smiled and nodded. "That'd be good. Wow. An actual night out," he joked. Emily laughed.

* * *

That afternoon, after their run, Morgan and Emily went their separate ways to get ready for dinner. She stood in front of her wardrobe wondering what to wear. She noticed that she'd never cared this much before. And she knew why she cared this much now. Hotch would be there. And this was one of those chances for him to see her out of slacks or cargos or flack vests.

Once she'd dressed, she ran downstairs and gathered her things, throwing them in her purse. Just as she was heading down the hall to the elevator, Hotch stepped out. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked nervously. Hotch smiled, "Morgan told me where we were meeting for dinner. Thought it'd be a nice walk from your place," he answered. Emily smiled and nodded. "Great. Well, let's go," she said nervously.

They walked down the street in awkward silence. Even though it wasn't a date, it sure felt like one. Emily's dress flowed in the wind and, as they passed a group on the path, Hotch put his hand on the small of her back. "So, how's your mother?" Hotch asked. Emily smiled and shrugged, "She's my mother. She's perfect," Emily answered sarcastically. "Ever the diplomat hey?" Hotch asked. Emily smiled and nodded. "You know it's interesting how your mother bottles up her emotions so well, and you've mimicked that behaviour. But you've chosen a career in which you're constantly dealing with emotions, psychosis, behaviours," Hotch noted. Emily laughed and rolled her eyes. "What?" he asked. Emily shook her head. "It's just. Uh. I guess profiling is just a part of who you are isn't it Hotch?" she joked. Hotch nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "I guess so," he said.

They reached the restaurant and Morgan and Tamara were waiting outside. Hotch shook Morgan's hand. "Hotch, this is Tamara," Morgan said, introducing his girlfriend to his boss. Hotch shook Tamara's hand and smiled. "Uh, we've got a table waiting for us," Morgan said. Emily nodded and the foursome walked inside. The maitre-de led them to a table and they sat down. After they'd ordered their drinks, Morgan sat back and put his arm around Tamara. "So how long have you been dating?" Hotch asked. Morgan chuckled. "Wow Hotch, third degree time hey?" he joked. Hotch smiled and nodded. "Uh, we've been dating…three months now?" Tamara said, looking at Morgan who nodded. Hotch raised his eyebrows. "What?" Morgan asked. Hotch smiled. "I've known Morgan for what…8 years now. Never has he made it past 2 dates," Hotch said. Morgan laughed and sat back, "What can I say? Personal growth," he said.

Tamara smiled and turned to Emily. "So Emily, how was your date the other night?" she asked. Emily smiled and took a sip of her water. Hotch looked over at her. "Date?" he asked. Emily nodded. "It was awful," she said. Tamara smiled. "Awful?" she asked. "He kept talking about his job, and his Lamborghini, and his $1.5 million house. I just kept thinking to myself, "This guy is a narcissist, misogynist, and I can list 5 un-subs we've caught in the past 12 months that I would have a more intelligent conversation with," she said. The others laughed. "I don't understand why men have this incessant need to brag about their belongings or bank accounts," Tamara said. Emily nodded, "Over-compensating?" Hotch laughed. "We can't win. If we don't talk, we're damaged hermits. If we talk too much, we're over-compensating," he said. Morgan nodded, "I agree." Tamara shook her head. "It's not the amount of talking though. Obviously women want men to talk but it's conversation we're after not bragging," she said. Emily nodded, "That's it. I don't want to have a conversation about my 401k or how much I paid for my apartment. I want to know what a man's ambitions are, what experiences he's had, what his relationship is like with his family, if he enjoys his job, why he enjoys his job…" she said. Hotch sat back and smiled.

* * *

As they left the restaurant, they stopped on the sidewalk. "This has been great," Tamara said. Emily nodded and the women hugged. "Did you walk Emily?" Morgan asked. Emily nodded again. "Hotch parked at my building," she said. "Alright, well we're parked around the corner," Morgan said. "I'll see you Tuesday?" Tamara asked Emily. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Provided we're in town," she answered. Tamara nodded and they said goodnight. Emily and Hotch watched Morgan and Tamara walk down the street, then turned to walk back to Emily's. "Hey, you wanna get some icecream?" Emily asked, as they walked towards the Baskin Robbins. Hotch nodded and opened the door, letting Emily go in first.

They ordered their icecream and sat down on the stools near the window, looking out onto the boulevard. Hotch looked over at Emily, "To be a good father, worked for the State Department, DA's office, Law School, FBI. I talk to my mother every week, my brother every other-week, and my son every day. Yes, and because I really love putting abusers, murderers, rapists etc. in prison. And I really enjoy working with our team." Emily frowned and took another scoop of icecream. "What's that?" she asked. Hotch smiled. "My ambitions, my experiences, my relationship with my family, and my job," he answered. Emily laughed and nodded. "Thanks for that," she said. "So how about you?" he asked. Emily took a deep breath. "I'm pretty much where I want to end up. The BAU is a perfect fit for me. Do you really want to hear all of my experiences? Cause that's a long list?" she asked. Hotch smiled, "How about 1 or 2 anecdotes?" he answered.

Emily smiled and nodded. "Well, when I was younger I spent an entire year living with my dad and step-mom in France. They live just outside of Paris. I had a crush on a boy who lived next door. Each month his family went hunting so I told my dad I wanted to go. Dad said yes so we went with them. I was showing off and tried picking up the fox while I rode past. I picked it up and sat back up on my horse. I was pretty chuffed…until I ran into a tree." Hotch smiled and chuckled. "Edward was really kind and helped me up. But I've never lived it down," Emily finished. Hotch smiled.

After they'd finished their icecream, they left the store and headed back to Emily's. When they reached her door, Emily pulled out her keys. "Well, tonight was fun," she said, turning to face Hotch. He nodded. "Yeah, we should do it again," Hotch said. Emily smiled and nodded. Hotch opened his mouth to say something but stopped. "Alright well goodnight Emily," he said. She nodded and smiled. "Goodnight Hotch," she said as she walked through the door and closed it. Hotch paused in front of her door for a moment then turned and walked down the hall.


	2. Chapter 2

The team was going to Will's Diner to get a bite to eat before heading back to the motel. They'd leave later the next day, provided the weather held out. The rest of the team was standing in the foyer, saying goodbye to the officers, while Prentiss and Hotch packed up the last of the paperwork. "You coming to dinner Hotch?" Prentiss asked. Hotch looked up and nodded. "Just want to get this finished before I leave," he said, nodding to the papers on the table. Prentiss nodded and helped Hotch pack up. "You don't have to," he said. Prentiss shook her head, "It's fine. We can walk over when we're done," she said. Detective Winters opened the door and said goodnight and assured Hotch she'd see the team off in the morning.

Morgan opened the door to the restaurant and each of the team members made their way into the warmth of Will's. They all sat at the table and Rossi and JJ poured glasses of water for everyone. "Tonight we've made roast pork for y'all. How's some warm apple cider to start hey?" Will said. Hotch nodded for the group. As they ate their dinner they talked and laughed, relieved the case was over. They hadn't made it in time to save Carla, but they'd found their murderer. Hotch sighed and leant on the table. Prentiss looked over at him. "You ok?" she asked. Hotch nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired," he replied. Prentiss patted his back.

It had been a long day, and Prentiss was feeling the overwhelming urge to get back to the motel and sleep. She stood and JJ nodded. Garcia and the girls all left together. "We'll see you guys in the morning," JJ said. The guys all said goodnight and Hotch watched as Prentiss made her way through the door. "Drinks anyone?" Morgan asked. The guys all nodded and Morgan and Reid stood and walked to the bar. Rossi looked at Hotch and smiled as his friend sat back in his chair. "You should tell her," Rossi said. Hotch looked over and frowned. "Tell who what?" he asked. Rossi rolled his eyes. "Emily," he conceded, "tell her how you feel." A smile crept across Hotch's face. He patted Rossi's shoulder and sighed. "Thanks for the consent Dave," he said sarcastically. Rossi sat back and looked over at Morgan and Reid at the bar. "Look, we've all noticed something going on. If the two of you are unaware, then you're not very good profilers." Hotch frowned. "It's not that easy Dave. I have Jack to consider, we still have to find Foyet so that Haley and Jack can come home, and we're colleagues. Strauss has pushed for me to step down temporarily. If I was to date a colleague or fellow team member, she'd have more reason to keep me down," Hotch explained. Rossi shook his head. "Stop making excuses. You have the chance at something so rare. Take it." By this point Morgan and Reid were heading back to the table. They handed the drinks around and spent the next thirty minutes talking about how Morgan was doing as the "temporary" team leader. After he'd taken the last sip of his beer, Hotch said goodnight and stood. "I'll see you all bright and early," he said. The guys nodded and said they'd have another round before returning to the motel.

Hotch walked towards his room and looked down the hall towards Emily's room. Maybe Dave's right, he thought. He shook his head and opened the door to his room. He quickly undressed down to his boxers and t-shirt before brushing his teeth. As he stood in the bathroom he thought about Emily, about how they'd grown closer over the years she'd been on the team. He loved how she joked and always seemed to bring a little light to the horrible sights they faced in their job. As he washed his face then dried it, he looked up at the mirror and smiled. Dave is right, he thought, hanging up the towel and grabbing the key from his dresser on his way out of the room. He walked to Emily's room next door and knocked.

She had been asleep a short while when she heard the knock at the door. She sat up in bed and called out, "Be there in a second." She stood up and, forgetting to turn the light on, ran into the chair near the dressing table. She shrieked in pain, and turned on the light as she made her way to the door. Dressed in only a singlet and boxers she felt the cool night air and wrapped her arms around herself. As she opened the door she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Hotch," she said. He didn't say anything at first, just looked at her nervously and smiled. "Do you need something?" she asked. "Can I come in?" he asked. She nodded and stepped back, letting him in the door. After she'd closed it she followed him into her room. "What's going on Hotch?" she asked. He still didn't say anything, just put his hands on her hips, pulled her body close to his, and kissed her passionately.

As the passion of their embrace grew, Emily put her arms around his waist and pressed on his back. _What the hell is going on? _she thought to herself. She couldn't believe that this was happening and she was sure she was going to wake up at any moment. But she didn't. This was real. It was happening. It was Hotch.

After awhile, she needed to take a breath. She pulled away from him and slowly walked over the other side of the bed, her fingers touching her lips. Hotch's eyes followed her, slightly terrified about what her response might be. "Hotch," she started, "Uh, I don't understand. Just when I thought I was finally getting a grasp on you…this." She looked at her feet then back up at him. "I'm sorry Emily, I'll leave," he said. "No," she said, holding her hands up. "No. You stand on that side of the bed, I'll stay here. And we'll talk," she said. Hotch went to put his hands in his pockets then realized he didn't have any and put his hands on his hips and nodded. "Alright. What do you want to know?" he asked. She thought for a moment. "Are you sure?" she asked, kneeling on the edge of the mattress. He nodded and smiled, climbing onto the bed and taking her hands in his. The soft touch of her skin melted his tough exterior and it took all his energy not to take her in his arms again. "Emily, I have been feeling this way for a long time. I've tried keeping it to myself but it's affecting my behaviour regardless. After dinner last week, I thought you felt the same," he explained. Emily nodded. "I do feel the same Hotch. But…" she replied. Hotch kissed her briefly.

"Ok, so… I mean, how is this going to work?" she asked him. He shrugged his shoulders at first. "Well we should probably make plans to sit and talk about it when we get back to DC," he suggested. Emily nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. "You sound like you have doubts?" he quisited. She shook her head and put her hands up to his face. "Not doubts, reservations," she explained. She sat and lay her feet across the bed, her ankle needing a rest. Hotch sat and picked up her foot, placing it on his lap and rubbing it. "Tell me what your reservations are," he said. She looked him in the eyes and smiled. "I care DEEPLY about you. And I've been feeling this way for awhile, especially after Foyet. I'm concerned about you. And I want to make sure that you're alright. You're always on my mind. But obviously I have concerns about what this might do to us, to the team, to you. I mean there are rules and Strauss is already breathing down your neck," she explained. Hotch nodded. He leant over and kissed her again, briefly this time. "Let's take some time to think about this. If we're still in DC next weekend we'll meet up and see if we've come up with any solutions?" he suggested. Emily nodded and smiled. Hotch stood and Emily walked him to the door. Before he opened it to leave he turned to her. "One more kiss?" he said. She kissed the tip of her pointer finger and pressed it against his forehead. "Goodnight Agent Hotchner," she said, opening the door. Hotch rolled his eyes. "Goodnight Emily," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

The team was on their way to Detroit. There was a serial who was killing people living on the streets. Emily sat down across from Hotch. When Morgan stood to get a glass of water Hotch looked over at Emily. "Looks like we won't be back to DC by the weekend," she teased. Hotch smiled. "It's only Wednesday, we've got a couple of days to solve the case," he answered. Emily smiled and opened the case file. When they arrived at the airport they met with the detective in charge. Hotch told him they would like to get started on the case right away. "Our hotel rooms will still be there tomorrow," he said. The others nodded and made their way to the SUV's.

Reid was sitting in the conference room waiting for everyone else to get back. Rossi and Emily had gone to the street where the first 3 victims had been taken. Hotch and Morgan had gone to the dump site, on the other side of town. JJ was helping Reid with the map. She came back into the room with coffee, and sat down. "Hey JJ, I know there's always a sense of urgency on these cases, but…" he began. JJ nodded, "But Hotch seems to be pushing us to close it even faster?" she asked. Reid nodded. "Why do you think that is?" he asked. JJ shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. Maybe it's a Jack thing," she suggested.

Thursday night, when Hotch had let the team go and get some rest, Emily and JJ decided to get a drink before going back to the hotel. "So how's Henry?" Emily asked her friend, before taking a sip of her beer. JJ smiled. "He's getting so big! I just hope that he doesn't take his first steps while I'm gone," JJ said. Emily nodded. "Hey," JJ started, "I was talking to Reid today and we've both noticed that Hotch is really keen for this case to be closed. Got any ideas?" she asked. Emily took a sip of her beer and shook her head, smiling. "What's the smile about?" JJ asked. Emily shook her head. "No reason. I uh. I overheard Hotch say something to someone about having a date on the weekend," Emily said. JJ's jaw dropped. "Hotch? Date? Wow. I never thought…" she replied. Emily laughed. "I wonder what a 'Hotch' date would be like?" JJ pondered. Emily shrugged her shoulders. "It's been so long since I've been on a date I don't even know what a regular date would be like," Emily joked.

* * *

It was Friday afternoon. The team had just returned from the case in Detroit and Hotch had texted her asking if she wanted to meet that night. She replied with a "YES!" Hotch looked down to the bull-pen as Emily packed some files into her briefcase. He smiled when she ruffled Reid's hair. There was a knock at the door and Hotch cleared his throat. "Come in," he called out. Rossi made his way into Hotch's office and smiled. "Got plans for tonight?" he asked. Hotch nodded. "I'll be leaving soon," he said. Rossi smiled. "Is there something I can do for you Dave?" Hotch asked. Rossi nodded. "I need to take some time for the last chapter of this book. Should I still ask you or do I need to take this to Morgan?" he asked. Hotch smiled and sat back in his chair. "You should probably take this to the team leader." Rossi nodded and stood. "Was that all?" Hotch asked. Rossi opened the door and looked down at Emily then back at Hotch. "Have fun," he said, smiling wryly and closing the door. Hotch leant back in his chair and looked out at Emily. She was packed and looked up at Rossi and said goodbye. She waved at Hotch and smiled. "Night Reid," she said. "Night Emily. See you Monday," the genius replied. Emily picked up her briefcase and made her way to the elevator.

* * *

Her doorbell rang at exactly seven PM. _Of course he's on time. God forbid he'd be five minutes late and I could actually be ready!_ She thought to herself. She grabbed her shoes from under the stairs. "Be there in a second," she called out. Hotch stood at the door and smiled, hearing her stumble to the door as she put her shoes on. She pulled the door open and smiled. "Hi," she said, stepping back as Hotch made his way through the door. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets when he saw her. She was dressed in a black dress that hugged her curves. Her hair fell in cobalt waves on her shoulders. "Give me a minute, I just have to turn on my washing and I'll be ready. Make yourself comfortable," she said as she ran into the laundry. Hotch made his way over to the bookshelves that lined her lounge room and looked through her collection. Emily quickly made her way out and over to where Hotch stood. "Have you actually read all of these?" he asked, looking at her. She nodded as she fixed the strap on her shoe, leaning on his shoulder. "Most of them twice or more." Hotch raised his eyebrows and smiled. "So I'm a nerd," she said. Hotch smiled and looked at her, "You look beautiful, Emily," he said. Emily rolled her eyes, "Oh it was just something I threw on," she joked. "You ready?" she asked. Hotch nodded and followed her to the door. She quickly grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and watched as Hotch swung her front door open. When they'd both walked through Emily turned and locked the door with the key, before placing it in her purse.

As they walked towards the elevator, Hotch laced his fingers in hers. Emily looked down at their hands, then up at Hotch and smiled. "Uh, so where are we going?" she asked as the elevator doors closed.

After dinner, they decided to go for a walk along the river. The cool night air sent shivers down Emily's spine and Hotch put his jacket around her shoulders, leaving his arm on her waist. "So," he started, "Have you had a chance to come up with anything?" he asked. Emily smiled and nodded. "A trial," she said. Hotch frowned and they stopped on the path. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at his feet. "A trial hey?" he asked. She nodded and put her arms on his shoulders. He reached up and rubbed her arms. "Let's get 6 cases under our belts before we tell anyone. If we can't make it those 6 cases without any potential problem or mishap then we need to rethink it all." Hotch nodded. "Sounds fair," he replied. "Then after those 6 cases we can tell the team and gauge their responses then decide where to go from there," she said. Hotch nodded. "So does Detroit count? I mean technically we had already kissed so…" his voice trailed off and they turned and walked back towards the car. Emily shook her head. "The six cases starts from tonight," she said matter-of-factly. Hotch smiled and put his arm around her shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

When they arrived back at her apartment Hotch insisted on walking Emily to her door. After she'd unlocked her door, Emily turned to face him. "I had fun tonight," Emily said. Hotch smiled, "You sound surprised," he said. Emily laughed and shook her head. "I guess I'll see you Monday?" she said. Hotch leant forward and kissed her. "How about breakfast on Sunday morning?" he asked. She pretended to take a moment to think, then nodded her head. "I'll pick you up at 8?" he asked. Emily nodded again. Hotch turned to walk away then turned back. "Just so we're clear, we're not telling anyone right?" he asked. Emily nodded. "So tomorrow night at the bar you won't tell the girls?" he asked. Emily put her hands to her face and a terrified look spread over her face. "I'm not going to be able to keep it in!" she cried out. Hotch laughed. "6 cases Em," he said. He watched and laughed as she opened the door to her apartment and made her way inside. As he made his way to his car he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

* * *

That Saturday night, the girls had gone to a bar to a Jet gig. Emily had seen them in Australia and insisted the girls go together. As they ordered their drinks from the bar, the girls turned and made their way closer to the stage. When they'd found the perfect spot, they turned and chatted while they waited for the band to start. Emily's phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her pocket. "I'll be back in a minute," she said. The girls nodded. Garcia was happy the girls were back together, celebrating their awesomeness, and JJ was just glad to have a night out. Emily quickly spoke to her mother about family dinner on Monday night, provided she was still in town. As she turned to head back to the group, she bumped into someone, spilling her drink on the floor. "I'm so sorry!" he said, holding his hand out. He looked up at Emily and smiled. "Hi, my name's Brad." Emily smiled and shook his hand. "Hi, Emily," she said. "Let me buy you another drink," he said apologetically. Emily nodded. They stood at the bar and talked while the bartender made her another gin martini. "So are you here with anyone?" Brad asked her. Emily nodded and smiled at the bartender when he handed her the drink. Emily pointed at JJ and Garcia. "I'm here with a couple of girlfriends," she said. Brad nodded and smiled. "So, uh, thanks for the drink," she said, "I better get back to the girls." Brad nodded and smiled. "It was nice to meet you Emily." Emily made her way back to the girls just in time for the band to start. Part way through the band's set, a waitress came over to the girls with a round of drinks. Emily looked puzzled and the waitress pointed to where Brad sat with a couple of friends. She held up her drink to Brad and smiled. "Who is that?" JJ asked. Emily smiled and took a sip of her drink. "Just someone I met." The girls smiled before looking back at the stage.

During their set, the lead singer of the band asked if anyone in the audience had been to Australia. Emily waved her hands in the air and the guys waved her up to the stage. She passed her drink to Garcia and made her way up. Nic took her hand and whispered in her ear, asking if she knew the lyrics to "Are you gonna be my girl?" Emily nodded and the band started playing. Emily screamed the lyrics into the mic and the guys had a blast. JJ wolf-whistled and laughed as Emily pointed to her friends. Garcia was busy taking photos of Emily on stage with her arm around Cameron, the lead guitarist. At the end of the song, Nic and Mark kissed Emily on the cheek before she made her way back to the girls.

* * *

The next morning, Emily was ready and waiting. It reached 8am and still no knock at the door. Just as she walked into the laundry to put a load in, she heard a knock. She opened the door and smiled as he made his way into her apartment. "Good morning," he said, holding out the bunch of daisies he had for her. She put her arm on his shoulder and kissed him. "Thank-you," she said, walking into the kitchen and putting them in a vase of water. "You ready?" he asked. She nodded and picked up her satchel from the bench. "So how was last night?" Hotch asked. Emily just smiled.

That Monday, Emily arrived at the office bright and early. Or so she thought. By the time she arrived, the rest of the team was huddled around the table where Garcia had her laptop, showing them the photos from the Saturday before. "Oh! This is Emily, on stage rocking it out with the band," Garcia explained. The next photo was of Brad and his friends sitting at the bar. "Who is that?" Morgan asked. JJ grinned. "That's the guy who liked Emily. He bought us drinks," she explained.

Hotch walked up and stood next to Emily. "He bought you drinks?" Hotch asked, looking up from his file. "Jealous are you?" she said quietly. He walked towards his office, looking back at her and smiling. He had no need to be jealous, Brad might've bought her drinks but he's the one she wanted to come home to. Morgan looked up and saw Emily standing behind them. "So, Brad huh? Did you give him your number?" he teased. Emily shook her head and looked over Garcia's shoulder at the photos. "Man that night was fun! We need to have more nights like that!" Emily said. The girls agreed. "And where's our invite?" Rossi asked. "Oh I'm sorry dad, but the parties are for kids only," Morgan teased. Rossi tapped Morgan's chin with his fist and looked up at Hotch's office. He saw his friend looking at Emily and smiling.

Rossi excused himself and walked up to Hotch's office. "Come in Dave," Hotch called out before he had a chance to knock. "So…did you tell her?" he asked. "She was chatting to guys in a bar and they were buying her drinks. What do you think?" Hotch asked, managing to evade the question without lying. Rossi nodded and made his way out the door.

* * *

It was just past five pm and Emily was getting ready to go home. She had to drive to her mother's house about an hour away so she was already running late. Her phone began to vibrate. It was Hotch. "Prentiss," she answered. "Hey. Uh have you got plans for tonight?" he asked. Emily sighed. "Unfortunately yes. I have dinner with my mother and step-father and his kids," she explained. Hotch sighed. "Ok, well have fun. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said. Emily assured him that Tuesday night, she was free. "I'll see you in the morning," she said.

It was about 11pm when Emily arrived home. She slowly made her way down the hall to her apartment. As she pulled her keys out and opened the door, she heard the phone ringing. She ran inside to answer it but was too late. "Hi this is Emily Prentiss, leave a message and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible," her machine said. "Hey Pre…Emily, It's Aaron. Hotch. Uh. Thought I might catch you when you got home but I guess you're still on your way. I just wanted to call and set up a date for tomorrow night…provided we're still in DC. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow. Hope you had fun at your mom's. Goodnight." Emily sat at the bench and smiled as she switched the kettle on. She walked over to her machine and pressed play again, listening to his voice.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Glad to read that people are enjoying the story. I'll try and post as much of it as quickly as possible. I'm having a little trouble writing chapters for "What if I waited," so I'm just gonna keep posting these stories until it picks up again. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, the team had just returned from a case in Ohio. Case number 3 since they'd started dating. Hotch knocked on her door. She swung it open and smiled. "Good evening sir. Come on in," she said. He kissed her as he made his way into the apartment. She quickly closed the door and walked into the kitchen. "So, do you want to order in or…?" Hotch's voice trailed off as he looked out at the view.

Emily picked up the fondue set and carried it into the lounge room. She switched on the CD player and Coltrane started playing. Hotch turned and laughed when he saw the food on the table. "I thought we'd start with dessert and if we felt like anything more we could order Chinese. She sat on the floor and stirred the chocolate. Hotch smiled and sat on the floor next to her. He leant over and kissed her as she dipped a strawberry in the chocolate. She held it out and put it in his mouth. He grinned and she laughed as chocolate dripped down the side of his mouth. He turned and looked out the window at the beautiful view and smiled.

They laughed and joked as they watched the night sky. Emily took a bite of banana and a little chocolate landed on her lip. Hotch smiled and leaned forward, kissing her lip. Emily put her arms on his knees and moaned as he kissed down her neck. She called out his name as he kissed across her shoulders, pulling down the straps of her singlet. "Hotch," she said, pulling away. "I just want to make sure we're not rushing things," she said. Hotch smiled and took her hands in his. "I have been falling in love with you for about the last year. If you want to wait, I completely understand. But I am sure," he explained. That was all she needed to hear. She blew out the candle in the fondu set, stood and held out her hands, helping him stand. She took him by the hand and led him upstairs, and into her bedroom.

They paused in the doorway and Hotch frowned. "I just want you to know…It's been awhile for me," Emily explained. Hotch smiled and nodded. "Me too," he said. He put his hands on her waist and kissed her passionately. She led him over to the bed and started undoing his tie. He gently ran his fingers up the inside of her top, pulling it over her head. As she undid his belt and pulled down his pants, she couldn't help but feel amazed that she was about to make love with Hotch. She smiled as she pulled off her pants and lay on the bed. Hotch ran his fingers down her porcelain skin and she pulled him onto the bed.

As she rolled on top of him, he held her by the waist and she reached up and undid her bra. He reached up and touched her face. "Emily, you are beautiful," he said, brushing her hair from her face. She leant down and kissed him passionately. He rolled on top of her and ran his fingers down her back, slowly pulling her panties off. She could feel him moving and goosebumps formed all over her body as she dug her fingers into his back. She called out his name and that drove him crazy. He'd always been "Hotch" but hearing her say Aaron was even better.

Hotch couldn't believe his luck. That he could be with such an incredible woman. A sense of relief and familiarity swept over them as they made love. He felt so warm, something he'd not felt in a long time. She felt free to be vulnerable with him. He touched her in places he'd only ever dreamed about. For this to be happening seemed like so much more than he deserved. They fell asleep in each other's arms, their bodies nestled against each other.

* * *

When he woke in the morning, he simply lay there, watching her sleep. He brushed her hair from her face and smiled. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to see him. He smiled and kissed her shoulder. "Good morning," he said. "Morning," she replied, turning and putting her hand on his hip. He kissed her on the lips and smiled, slowly starting to chuckle. "What?" she asked, confused. He shook his head and lay back. "Nothing. I just…" he paused. "I can't believe I'm waking up next to you." Emily lay back and rested her head on his arm. He reached over and played with her hair as they both lay there, thinking about the events of the previous night.

Hotch reached down and grabbed the sheet. "What are you doing?" she asked. "I wanna have a look," he replied. Emily lay back and cringed, covering her face with her hands. "Alright," she said. He sat up then lifted the sheet quickly. When he put the sheet back down she moved her fingers so she could see his face. "What? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said. He stayed silent. "What?" she prompted, tapping his foot with hers. She sat up, holding the sheet up to her chest. He looked at her, put his hand up to her face and kissed her passionately. "Wow," he finally said. Emily pulled the sheet up over her head and groaned. Hotch reached over and pulled it back down. His eyes grew wider, "WOW!" he said again. Emily's cheeks started to blush. "You are gorgeous," he said, pulling her close and kissing her again. She slowly climbed on top of him and he ran his fingers down her chest and waist. "You can say that to me every morning if you want," she said, kissing him passionately.

As he started to move his phone rang. Hotch groaned and threw his head back. He reached over and answered it. "Hotchner," he said as Emily continued kissing his neck. "Hey JJ," he said. Emily sat up and frowned. "Ok, call the others. I'll be in as soon as possible." After they'd hung up Hotch kissed Emily. "We've got a case in Brooklyn. We need to get ready," he explained. "And JJ's probably going to call you." Emily nodded and kissed him. She climbed out of bed and into the shower.

When her cell rang she answered. Sure enough it was JJ. "I'm just in the shower now. I'll be there as soon as possible," Emily told her friend. After they'd hung up, Emily returned to the shower. Hotch stepped out of the way as she rinsed her hair. "Alright. I need to go home before I head in, just to grab my go-bag. I'll see you in there," he said. Emily nodded and kissed him before he got out of the shower, dried himself and got dressed. "See you soon," Emily called out, getting out of the shower. She heard the front door close and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Jumping along in time. They've just hit the three month mark and have five cases under their belts. At this point no-one knows about their relationship still. I don't know what it is but the "secret relationship" thing is something I'm drawn to. Possibly because of my own freaky family... I dunno. Anyway. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

It was late at night and the team was on their way to a case in Colorado. Hotch and Morgan sat on one side of the table, with JJ and Prentiss on the other. Reid was sprawled out on the long couch, asleep, and Rossi was sitting on his own towards the back of the plane. JJ had fallen asleep and was leaning on the window. Prentiss was reading the case file and Morgan and Hotch were looking at the autopsy reports.

During the flight, Morgan stood to get himself a glass of water. Hotch looked up from the papers and watched Emily. She'd fallen asleep with the file on her chest. Hotch stood to get himself a drink and, as he walked towards the kitchenette he gently picked up the file and put it on the table. He pulled the blanket up over Emily's shoulders and smiled. He loved to watch her sleep. She always had the most peaceful expression on her face when she slept and Hotch would find himself feeling calm and relaxed in those moments.

By this point Morgan had turned to head back to his seat. He smiled when he saw Hotch put the blanket over Prentiss. _He knows. She knows. We all know. Why don't they just say something?_ Morgan thought to himself. He cleared his throat and made his way back to his seat, handing Hotch a glass of water. Hotch looked up and pulled his mask back on. Not only would it give away their secret if he was caught watching Emily sleep, but they needed to remain focused on the task at hand.

* * *

It was three days later when they returned from Colorado. Emily opened the door when she heard the knock. She opened it and he was standing in the hall. "Hi," she said as Hotch walked into the apartment. He kissed her and said hello back. "Alright," she said, wondering what he was doing here, "What's going on Hotch?" He smiled and held up the files in his hand. "Six cases," he said. Emily smiled and laughed.

She walked over to the couch and sat down. "Alright, so what's the plan then genius?" she asked. Hotch joined her on the couch and pulled her legs onto his lap, rubbing her feet while they talked. "I think we should tell them," he said bluntly. Emily groaned and lay back on the couch. "Do we have to?" she asked. Hotch frowned. "Do we have to?" he repeated. Emily looked at him and smiled. "We're doing so well, keeping it a secret. We haven't let it seep into our work. We haven't made any bad judgment calls. We've been doing really well," she explained, "I just don't want to ruin it."

Hotch nodded then looked over at her. "Emily. I have to say something. Now don't get freaked out by this or feel that you have to say anything…" Emily's shoulders tensed up, anticipating what he could possibly have to say that needed such a lead up. Hotch took a deep breath, "I love you." Emily sat up quickly and kissed him. "Oh my god I love you too!" she cried out. Hotch smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't want to say anything but I feel the same way!"

Hotch hugged her tight, feeling her heart beat against his chest. "So why can't we tell our team. I mean we've done well in keeping it away from the office. Why can't we tell them that we love each other? I want the world to know that I love Emily Prentiss," Hotch asked. Emily sat back and sighed. She was fighting a losing battle. And she'd promised him six cases. "Alright. When?" she asked.

* * *

They'd been talking for a couple of hours when there was a knock at the door. Emily was in the kitchen picking out wine and they'd ordered Chinese so Hotch went to answer the door. When he opened it he almost had a heart attack.

"Hotch? What are you doing here?" JJ asked. Hotch mumbled something before standing back and inviting her in. "Ok, so I've got a bottle of 84 Bordeaux or 76 Merlot. Which would you prefer?" Emily said as she made her way into the hallway. When she looked up she stopped, jaw-dropped. "JJ, what are you doing here?" she asked. JJ looked at Hotch and smiled, then over at Emily. "Uh, I was on my way home and thought I'd drop in and see if you wanted to join us for dinner," JJ paused, "but I guess I'm too late." Emily nodded, blushing as she tried to think up an excuse for why Hotch was here. "Uh, Hotch came by to drop off some files, we got chatting and figured we'd order some Chinese," Emily explained, looking over at Hotch. Hotch nodded and smiled at JJ "Files," he repeated nervously. "I might just go to the bathroom. Good to see you JJ," Hotch said, making himself scarce.

When he reached the top stair, JJ turned to Emily, hands on her hips and grinning. "Ok… Now tell me the truth," JJ teased. Emily moaned. "Alright, you caught us." JJ raised her eyebrows. "Caught you doing what?" she asked. Emily sighed. "You're going to make me tell you aren't you?" she asked her friend. JJ just nodded. "How long?" she asked. Emily took a breath and cringed, "Almost four months," she said. JJ's jaw dropped. "Four?" she cried out. Emily nodded and looked upstairs.

"We decided to get six cases behind us before we thought about telling anyone on the team," Emily explained, "just in case. I mean we really wanted to make sure that we could separate our relationship from our work life." JJ nodded again then ran over to her friend and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you," she said. Emily smiled as they stood back. "Ok, so now that you know you can't tell anyone," Emily said to her. JJ's eyes grew wider with the thought of having this information and not being able to tell anyone. She nodded and smiled. "So when am I off the hook?" she asked. Emily looked upstairs then back at JJ. "We've decided to tell the team on Friday night." JJ nodded. "Oh thank god! I don't think I could keep it a secret for too long." Emily laughed. "Alright, well now that I've spoiled your surprise I guess I'd better get going," JJ said, picking up her bag and heading towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," Emily said.

After she'd closed the door she walked upstairs and found Hotch lying on the bed. She climbed up next to him and lay her head on his chest. "So it's out," Hotch said, running his fingers through her hair. "She promised she wouldn't say anything until we were ready," Emily explained. "Friday?" Hotch said. "Friday," Emily said. She stood and held her hand out to him. They made their way back downstairs. Soon enough the food arrived and they switched on "Roman Holiday."

After the movie had finished, Hotch decided to go home and work on some files before work the next day. Emily walked him to the door. They stopped in the doorway, kissed, then said goodnight. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said. Emily nodded and watched him walk down the hall.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just a baby chapter before the big reveal. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

The team was supposed to have a week off from the roster. Instead, they ended up taking a case in Texas. Over 6 months, five boys had gone missing and the police department was getting desperate. They'd worked the profile and found the name of the un-sub.

Prentiss smashed the window with her elbow and reached through to unlock the door. "We're in. No sign of the boy," she said quietly into her mic. "Coming through the back door now," Hotch said. "We've got blood," he said. Prentiss and Morgan made their way through the house, clearing the rooms. When they walked into the lounge, Hotch and Detective Thomas joined them. They had one door left to open.

Hotch turned the doorknob and opened the door. A man on the other side was holding a gun and pressed the trigger, shooting Hotch in the shoulder. A shot came through the window and hit the un-sub in the head. Morgan picked up the boy and ran outside while Thomas cleared the room. Prentiss knelt down beside Hotch and pressed her hand on the wound. "Hotch, just lie still," she said. The paramedics ran inside and lay down a stretcher next to Hotch. Emily stood back while they worked on him. Morgan came up behind her and took her by the shoulders. "Emily you've gotta get out," he said, "Let them do their job." Emily let Morgan lead her out of the room.

When they got outside JJ came over to her. "We've found graves out the back," she told them, "Looks like there's 5." Morgan nodded. "You stay here with Emily. Let me know where they're taking Hotch and we'll meet you there. I'll stay here with Rossi and Reid until the SCSI team gets here." JJ nodded and took Emily by the arm and over to the ambulance. After a few minutes the paramedics wheeled Hotch out of the house and to the ambulance. "Hotch," Emily cried out. They put him in the back of the ambulance and Emily and JJ climbed in. Emily reached over and took his hand. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked a paramedic. He nodded. "He's lost some blood but he should be fine," the paramedic assured her. Emily nodded.

When they'd arrived at the hospital they took Hotch straight to surgery. They'd walked through the doors and Emily and JJ had to stay out. Emily looked through the small window of the swinging doors. JJ put her arm around her friend. She touched Emily's arm. "Emily, you're bleeding." Emily looked at her elbow and cringed, "Wow. Uh, it'll be alright." JJ shook her head. "Martyr," she mumbled under her breath. JJ asked a nurse if someone could look at it. They sat Emily down on a gurney and cleaned up the wound. "There's a fair amount of glass in it. This is gonna sting," the doctor said. "So the guy they wheeled into surgery, he's your boyfriend?" the doctor asked. Emily looked at JJ and nodded. "He's also her boss," JJ teased. "Wow. Dating in the workplace hey?" he asked. Emily nodded. "Yeah well…in our line of work," Emily said. When they'd bandaged her arm the girls went and sat in the waiting room. "I called Morgan, they're gonna be here soon."

About a half hour later, the surgeon walked through the door and came over to JJ and Emily. "He's out of surgery, we got the bullet. It's in an evidence jar if you need it?" JJ nodded and walked over to the nurses station to sign the papers. "You can go and see him whenever you want." Emily nodded and looked at JJ. "You go ahead, I'll stay here until the guys arrive," she said. Emily nodded and a nurse led her down the hall to Hotch's room. When she walked in she made her way to Hotch's side. "Hey," he said, "They've given me the fun juice." Emily laughed, then started crying. "Hey, honey. It's alright." Hotch assured her, "I'm fine." Emily sat on the edge of the bed. "I, uh…" her voice trailed off and Hotch reached up and wiped a tear from her eye. "It's alright," he said.

JJ made her way down the hall and stopped when she saw Emily sitting on Hotch's bed. They were laughing and talking, and JJ smiled when Hotch took Emily's hand and kissed it. Morgan called out to JJ and when she turned she saw the guys walking down the hall towards her.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I was reading through this and checking for grammar/spelling mistakes when I realized that I wrote this before Hayley was killed. So rather than changing my story, I'm going to say from now on, that Hayley is still alive. Jack still lives with her but Hotch has him on weekends.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

That Thursday Emily had a family dinner at her mother's house so Hotch decided to stay in the office. He hadn't spoken to Emily about it but he thought it would be a good idea to tell Morgan before they told the rest of the team. He made his way down the hall to Morgan's new office. When he knocked on the door Morgan looked up. "Figured you'd still be here," Hotch said, taking a seat opposite his friend. "Now I understand why you stay so late," Morgan said, leaning back in his chair. "What's going on Hotch?" Morgan asked, noticing the uncomfortable look on his friend's face.

"I have to tell you something. Well technically it's a we but it's only me here so it's a me," Hotch mumbled. "Hotch," Morgan prompted. Hotch took a deep breath. "I just need to say first, that we've talked about this and how it's going to work and how it has worked…" Hotch looked up at Morgan. "Emily and I have started dating." Morgan raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Wow. Uh. Congratulations," he paused, "How long?" he asked. "About five months," Hotch said. Morgan nodded. "Well, you've definitely kept it away from work. That's gotta stand for something," Morgan said. Hotch nodded. "We're going to tell the rest of the team tomorrow night but I thought we should tell you first. I'm not going behind Emily's back, it's just well she's at her mother's for dinner so I thought…" his voice trailed off. Morgan nodded. Morgan stood and held out his hand. "Congratulations man. Just a word of warning though, you hurt her and you'll have me to deal with," Morgan said sternly. Hotch smiled and shook his hand. After they talked for awhile, Hotch said goodnight. Morgan smiled and sat back in his chair.

* * *

Friday night and the team was headed to the bar for the Halloween party. The band had just finished playing and everyone was on the floor dancing. Hotch was dancing with Garcia, Emily with Morgan, JJ with Spence. They laughed and talked and danced to Stevie Wonder. Hotch looked over at Emily and smiled when Morgan spun her.

"So when are you going to tell everyone?" Morgan asked. Emily smiled. "Uh, when we're ready," she said, smiling at Hotch and Garcia dancing. Morgan lead her around the floor and when they got close to Garcia and Hotch, Emily smiled at him. "You really like him don't you?" Morgan said. Emily nodded. "I really LOVE him Derek," she said. Morgan raised his eyebrows. "Wow... Love." Emily nodded. "It is possible to love Hotch you know," she joked. Morgan laughed. "Oh you're being serious," he said. Emily nodded again. "There's a lot more to him that he doesn't show at work. He's funny, a fantastic cook, caring, loving, tender…" her voice trailed off and she looked over at him. "I just can't imagine Hotch in a relationship. He's always been such a hermit," Morgan said. Emily nodded. "We've had some issues but it's been pretty smooth sailing. And we have the same work hours so…" Emily's voice trailed off and Morgan smiled. "Well, you look happy," he said. Emily nodded.

The song finished and as it changed to "Waiting on an angel," Morgan walked over and asked Hotch if he could cut in. Hotch nodded and looked over at Emily. "Looks like we'll HAVE to dance with each other," she said, smiling. Hotch grinned, walked over to her, and pulled her close to him. Hotch put one hand on her waist and held the other in his. Emily leant her head on Hotch's shoulder and smiled. He could feel her heart beating against him. Morgan whispered something in Garcia's ear and they both looked over at Emily and Hotch. Garcia looked at Morgan and smiled. Morgan nodded and turned back to look at the couple.

"Emily," Hotch said. She raised her head and looked him in the eyes. "I think they know," he said, nodding his head toward the table where the rest of the team was sitting and watching. Emily looked back at him and smiled. She looked up into his eyes and he kissed her lightly. She reached up and wiped the lipstick from his lips and smiled. "I love you Emily," he said. "I love you too Aaron." He pulled her close again and leant his head against hers.

"I was thinking. We've been dating for awhile now. And now that Jack's back I'll have him weekends. And since you're a part of my life I think it'd be a good idea for you to get to know each other," Hotch explained. Emily smiled and nodded. "I'd love to," she answered, kissing him again. "Great," he said. He paused for a moment. "Do you think we've got what it takes?" he asked her. Emily pulled back for a moment and nodded. "Do you have any doubts?" he asked. She nodded. "You do?" he asked. "Well, I mean we're both pretty screwed up. But we seem to be working," she explained. Hotch smiled and pulled her tight, kissing the top of her head. Their bodies moved in time to the music and Hotch held Emily close to him.

When the song ended, he looked her in the eyes. "You ready?" he asked. She nodded and he led her back to the table.

When they reached the table Garcia jumped up from her seat and hugged Emily. "I knew it!!!" she cried out. Hotch put his hand on her hip as Rossi reached over and shook his hand. "You told her hey?" he asked. Hotch nodded then looked at Emily and smiled, kissing the top of her head. "You knew? And you didn't tell me?" Garcia cried out when JJ told her she'd known for a week. Hotch and Emily sat at the table and Hotch put his arm around her, playing with her hair. He felt relieved that they could show their feelings for each other in front of their "family."

* * *

It was late when JJ and Will stood to go home. "Spence you want a lift?" JJ offered. Reid smiled and nodded. "Thanks guys," he said. "Actually we should probably call it a night too," Emily said. Hotch nodded and stood. They said goodnight to the rest of the team and headed out the door, hand-in-hand.

When they reached the street Emily turned and walked backwards, putting her hand up to Hotch's face. "They know!" she cried out. Hotch leant forward and kissed her. "Yep. They know!" he answered. The drive back to Hotch's was quick. He lived close to the office. As they made their way down the hall, Hotch reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. When he turned he smiled, unlocking the door. They made their way into the apartment and both threw their bags on the couch. "Let's just get to bed hey?" Hotch asked. Emily grinned. "Ok. I'm exhausted." They undressed and climbed under the covers. Hotch loved holding her as she slept. "Goodnight Aaron," she said. "Goodnight Emily," he said, kissing her cheek.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So I've skipped the Christmas/New Years chapters because they're very similar to those in my other stories. But believe me, this one is still exciting/fluffy. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal minds.

* * *

Hayley and Jack had just left. She'd let him stay with his father over Christmas and New Years and now she was taking him home. Hotch had enjoyed the time with his son and Emily loved seeing how they played together. Emily was in Jack's room, tidying up his bed and putting his toys away. Hotch walked in and watched her. He was amazed that she was in life, that she was with him. When she felt him watching, Emily turned and smiled. She walked over and put her hands on his waist. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled.

"Hey you," she said. He grinned and pulled her close. They stood there for a moment. "Uh, so I was thinking burgers by the river for dinner," Hotch said. Emily nodded and smiled. "Alright. Let me go change and I'll be ready." Hotch turned and watched her walk up the hall to his room. The last two weeks had been bliss. The unit was closed over the holidays and each of the members had a chance to spend time with their families. For Hotch, that meant Jack and Emily. They knew this was going to stick. Now he just wanted to make it official. A few minutes later Emily made her way back down the hall to the kitchen. Hotch looked up and smiled. "You ready?" she asked. He nodded and pulled his jacket from the closet and they headed out.

They picked up their burgers and made their way across the road to the waterfront. They found a spot on the grass where they could watch the water. Hotch lay down the blanket and they sat down. Emily virtually inhaled her food. Hotch laughed as he slowly made his way through his. "So, back to work tomorrow," she sighed. Hotch nodded and took the last bite of his burger. "Mmm. I've enjoyed the past couple of weeks but I have to tell you, I'll be glad to get back." Emily laughed and patted his back. "Of course you would be Hotch. You just wanna get your gun out and start knocking down doors again right?" she teased. He looked at her and smiled. "I'm sorry but when did you start dating Morgan?" he asked. Emily playfully punched his arm and lay down, resting her head on his lap.

Hotch looked down at her and smiled, running his fingers through her hair. "Emily," he started. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "Yes Hotch," she said. "I just want you to know how much I've loved the last seven months. I can't imagine what life would be like without you, and I don't want to find out." Emily smiled. "I feel the same way honey," she said, patting his thigh. Hotch gently reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the box. It was small. It was blue. It had a neat white ribbon.

Emily sat up when he held it out. He placed it in her hands and she blushed. "Uh Aaron," she started. He untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked into his eyes. A single tear ran down her cheek and he reached up to wipe it away. "What's wrong?" he asked. "It's not wrong. It's perfect," she said. She leaned forward and kissed him, running her fingers through his hair. He smiled and watched as she opened the box again. He reached over and took the ring. She held out her hand and he got up on one knee. "Emily Prentiss, will you marry me?" he asked. She smiled and blushed. "Yes!" she cried out as he slipped the ring on her finger. She got up on her knees and they kissed passionately. Hotch sat back down and Emily leant into his body.

* * *

"Hotchner," he said, picking up his cell from the bedside table. "Hi Hotch. It's JJ. Holiday's over." JJ explained that the team was leaving for Georgia as soon as they got to the airport. "I'll tell Emily. She's here," Hotch said. "Ok, and Hotch, I think we're going to need Garcia with us on this one," she explained. Hotch agreed. He said goodbye to JJ as Emily rolled over. "Morning," he said, kissing her. "What is it?" she asked. He explained that the team had a case and they had to get going. Emily nodded and walked into the shower. He quickly joined her and noticed she'd taken her ring off. He decided not to say anything about it. Emily finished and hopped out to dry herself. "I'll go make the coffee," she said. Hotch nodded, "I'll be out soon." He finished in the shower and got dressed then made his way out to the kitchen.

Emily was sitting on the bench and smiled when he walked over to her. She fixed his tie while he took a sip of coffee. She leant forward and kissed him. "So uh, did that actually happen last night?" she asked. He smiled and nodded. "We're engaged," she said. He nodded again. "What's wrong? Why so quiet?" she asked, confused by his silence. He shrugged his shoulders. She figured it was because she'd taken the ring off. "I just…I'm not ready to share it yet," she explained. He nodded. He knew vulnerabilities in the field could be liabilities, and he knew that she wanted to keep it their news for the moment. He could live with that. He put his cup in the sink and they were off.

* * *

The case didn't take long and the team had only been in Georgia for three days when they closed. The team was due to fly out early the next morning so they were taking the night to wind down at a local diner. Before they headed over to the diner, Emily paid Hotch a visit in his room. When he opened the door he smiled and asked her to come in. When he'd closed the door he pulled her close and kissed her passionately. "I've missed you so much," he said. She stepped back and smiled. "Uh, I wanted to talk to you about something," she said, leading him over to the frowned as they sat on the edge of the bed. She took his hands in hers and smiled. "I think we should tell the team," she said. Hotch smiled and cupped her face in his hands. "I agree!" he cried out before kissing her.

He stood and took her hand. As they walked down the hall he put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "oh, wait," Emily said, walking back towards her room. She disappeared for a moment before returning to Hotch in the hall. "What's wrong?" he asked. She held up her hand and he nodded. "Hey, why don't we just wait and see who notices it first?" Hotch suggested. Emily chuckled and nodded. They walked across the street and into the diner where most of the team was waiting. They just had to wait for Garcia and Morgan to join them. Emily hid her left hand, wanting the whole team to be there when it was "discovered."

A few minutes later Garcia and Morgan arrived and the team ordered their food. Hotch offered to get drinks from the bar and Rossi stood to help. They returned a moment later and Hotch reached over to hand Emily her pint. She reached over with her left hand and it didn't take Garcia long to notice the bling. "Emily! Ok either you're engaged or a bird has pooped a diamond on your hand!" Everyone jumped up to congratulate the couple. "He asked on Sunday," Emily said, patting Hotch's back. Hotch told them how he'd proposed and when he said he got down on one knee, Garcia and JJ gushed. A grin grew on Emily's face and she put her hand on Hotch's knee. The rest of dinner was spent with wedding questions: date, place, bridesmaids, etc.

When everyone had eaten enough the team decided to call it a night. Hotch walked Emily to her room. When she'd unlocked her door, Emily turned to face him. "Goodnight beautiful," he said, leaning in to kiss her. "Goodnight Aaron." He smiled and turned to walk to his room.

* * *

The next morning the team met in the foyer to head out for breakfast before their flight back to Quantico. Hotch and Emily sat next to each other and Reid and Morgan watched as Emily split the paper into sections and passed Hotch his half. By the time their coffee and food arrived they'd both finished their sections and swapped. When the both cracked open the new sections, Emily passed the sugar to Hotch who took two spoonfuls before passing it back to her. Emily poured milk into her coffee and added one sugar, all the while neither of them looking up from their papers.

Morgan and Reid broke into laughter. Everyone stared at them with puzzled looks. Through the laughter, Morgan pointed to the newspaper. "I think what Morgan's trying to say is that you guys resemble an old married couple already," Reid explained, nodding his head toward the couple reading the papers. Emily rolled one of the read sections and playfully tapped the guys on the head. She turned to Hotch and they smiled at each other. Emily reached over and patted his leg.

* * *

The jet had just taken off and Hotch and Emily were sitting at the table, Morgan was on his own towards the rear of the jet. Reid sat in his usual spot on the long couch, and Rossi and the girls sat closest to the cock-pit. Hotch put his head back on the headrest and moaned. It had been almost 2 years since the explosion but every now and then his ears played up on the plane. Emily looked over and frowned at the expression on her fiancé's face. She put her hand on his arm and asked if he was ok. He nodded and frowned. "I'll be fine," he said, taking her hand in his. She patted his chest and pulled the blanket up over him, then returned her attention to her book.

It was about 7pm when the team got back to Quantico. Hotch's slight pain on the jet had grown into a full-blown migraine so Emily said she'd drive him home. The rest of the team said goodnight and watched them make their way to Emily's car. Emily helped Hotch into the passenger's seat and walked around to the other side. When she got in, she looked over at Hotch and concern spread over her face. He'd gone extremely pale and was holding onto his ears. "I'm gonna take you to the hospital. You need to see a doctor," Emily told him, clearly not taking no for an answer.

They arrived at the emergency room promptly and Emily walked him in. When she'd filled out the paper-work the nurse led her to the examination room where Hotch lay on the bed. "Have they told you anything?" she asked him, sitting on the edge of the bed. He shook his head and took her hand in his, "The doctor said he'd be back soon." Emily nodded and forced a smile.

A few moments later the doctor opened the curtain and closed it again. "Agent Hotchner, I understand you were involved in an explosion a couple of years ago?" he asked. Hotch nodded and Emily said yes. "Alright well first I'll check your ears then we may need a cat-scan," he said. Emily stood to the side as the doctor examined Hotch's ears. "There's definitely some scar-tissue pressing on your ear-drums. I'll send you up for a cat-scan then we may need to take you into surgery," the doctor explained. He called for a nurse with a wheelchair. Emily helped him into the chair then pulled her cell out of her bag. "Uh, I'll go call JJ and Hayley and let them know what's going on ok?" Emily told Hotch. He nodded and kissed her lightly before they wheeled him towards the elevator.

* * *

Hotch had been gone for about half an hour when Morgan arrived at the hospital. He walked up to the nurse's station and asked for Agent Prentiss. The nurse pointed to the room where Emily was waiting. She stood when she saw Morgan. He hugged her and asked how she was. "They're still up in radiology. They said they'll probably have to perform a short surgery on the scar tissue," she explained.

"Alright. Uh, do you need anything? Coffee, water…" Morgan asked. Emily shook her head and smiled. "I'm fine," she paused, noticing the concerned look on Morgan's face, "He's going to be fine." Emily patted Morgan's arm. He looked at her and smiled. "How are you so calm?" he asked, amazed at her composure. Emily shrugged and smiled. "There's no sense in worrying. It's Hotch. He's superman," she said. Morgan smiled and shook his head. The woman _was _in love!

"Alright. I might just go and see what's going on." Morgan walked back to the nurse's station and asked them where Hotch was. They said he'd been taken up to surgery. The nurse asked if Morgan and Emily wanted to go up to surgery. He nodded and got Emily, then an orderly led them upstairs.

* * *

Hotch had just come out of surgery and was lying in a recovery room. Emily sat on a seat next to his bed, resting her head near his hand. Just as Morgan walked in the door Hotch opened his eyes. He put his finger to his lips and pointed at Emily, asleep. He mouthed his son's name and Morgan said that Hayley would bring him around to their place the next day. Morgan said goodbye and assured Hotch he'd let the team know. Hotch nodded, then looked down at Emily.

He ran his fingers through her hair. She stirred and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "You're awake!" she cried out, jumping to her feet and kissing his forehead. Hotch smiled and took her hand in his. "The doctor said you'll be fine. You may need to come back in a few months to make sure the scar tissue hasn't come back," Emily explained. "He said you should be ok to come home in the morning." Hotch nodded and moved over on his bed. Emily climbed up next to him and he wrapped his arm around her.

* * *

The next morning, Emily woke up and found Hotch standing up, packing his bag. "What are you doing?" she asked, "You shouldn't be up until the doctor's clear you." He walked back to the bed and kissed her. "He has. He came in about 15 minutes ago. I didn't want to wake you." Emily smiled and stood up. She picked up her purse and then took his bag. "Don't want you hurting yourself," she teased. He walked over to the nurses station and signed the paperwork then they made their way outside.

It was only 7:30 so Emily took Hotch home and grabbed a quick shower. "I'm going to stay here for the morning and spend some time with Jack. I'll be in the office around noon," Hotch explained. Emily rolled her eyes as she rinsed out her hair. "Why don't you take a couple of days to recover?" she suggested, knowing he couldn't stay still for two days. "No. I'm feeling fine. A couple of days of paperwork and I'll be fine to go back up in the air." Emily nodded her head and stepped out of the shower.

Hotch heard a knock at the door and walked out to answer it. Hayley and Jack were waiting. Emily took her time getting dressed and slowly walked down the hall. "Morning Hayley," she said. Hayley smiled and said good morning. "I'll be back at 12. Is that ok?" she asked, patting her sons back. Hotch nodded. "See you then." Hayley left and Hotch sat down in the lounge. Emily went to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Alright, I'll see you after lunch," she said. "Bye Jack." Emily kissed the little boy on the forehead and headed to the door. "I'll see you this afternoon," Hotch said. They kissed and he closed the door.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Skip forward a few months and voila. A BAU wedding! Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Emily woke up to the sound of her alarm. 6am. She lay back for a moment and stared at the ceiling. Today was the day. She rolled over and stroked the empty spot where Aaron usually slept. But not last night. Last night he'd stayed in the hotel with the guys. There was a knock at the door and Emily sat up. "Come in," she called out. JJ opened the door slowly and poked her head in. "Morning," she said, "We've got the hairdresser here so if you want to jump in the shower we can start on Garcia and I." Emily nodded and smiled. "I'm getting married today," she said. JJ smiled and walked over to the bed and hugged her friend.

* * *

A half hour later, Emily made her way down the stairs, dressed in boxers and one of Hotch's dress shirts. When she walked into the lounge she saw all the girls. Her mom sat on the lounge, next to her younger step-sister. JJ sat in the chair, having her hair fixed. Garcia was making coffee, her hair already finished. "Em!" her mom called out. "Come here sweetheart!" Emily walked over to her mom and the two women embraced. Garcia brought a cup of coffee to the bride and when the hairdresser was finished with JJ she started on Emily's hair.

After her hair and make-up were done, the girls went upstairs to help her in her wedding gown. Twenty minutes later, the girls walked downstairs. Penelope and JJ were dressed in black, strapless gowns with silver sashes. Emily made her way down and her mom burst into tears. "Sweetheart, you look…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off. "Don't cry, or my make-up will run!" Emily cried out. After taking some photos at Emily's house, the ladies made their way downstairs to the cars. Old, classic rolls Royce. Emily's dad was waiting downstairs and he smiled when he saw his daughter. He helped her into the car and soon enough it was time to head to the church.

* * *

Hotch stood at the front of the church, nervously waiting. Sean stood next to him, then Morgan. He looked into the congregation and saw Jack sitting with his grandma. Next to her sat Sean's wife, Kelly. Behind the family sat Hotch's other family, Rossi, Reid, Will and Henry. Other family and friends sat behind the team. On Emily's side sat her step-father, step-mother, two step-brothers, and their families. Behind them sat some of Emily's friends, including Matty's parents. Hotch looked down the aisle towards the front door and saw Elizabeth make her way to her seat next to her husband. Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. _She's here_, he thought.

The music started and the doors opened. Garcia made her way down the aisle, carrying a bunch of white and yellow daisies. JJ followed, winking at Will as she made her way down to the altar. Finally, Emily appeared. Hotch took a deep breath and watched as his fiancé made her way down the aisle on the arm of her father. Hotch couldn't take his eyes off of her. She wore a long white gown, with embroidered detail over the bodice. She carried a bunch of white roses with yellow daisies.

When they reached the altar, Emily's father squeezed her hand then joined his wife and ex-wife in the front row. Hotch took Emily's hand and they turned to face each other. He grinned and she smiled back. The minister began the ceremony and soon enough he said those magical words. "You may kiss the bride." Hotch reached up and lifted her veil, pulled her close, and kissed her passionately. After they'd signed the registry the minister pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Hotchner. They made their way down the steps to greet their families.

After taking some time for some photos, everyone headed to the reception.

Morgan made a speech on behalf of the team. "Let's just say, Emily thank God you came along. You keep him calm, you keep him sane, you make him laugh. In our line of work, a smile like yours is a welcome distraction and I definitely think Hotch would be a different boss if it weren't for you." Emily blushed and Hotch leant over and kissed his wife's cheek. Then it was JJ's turn. "Emily, Hotch. To work with the two of you is a great honour. To have watched your love grow, and now to see you married, is the greatest gift. It's rare to find that person with whom you're able to be yourself, with whom you can be vulnerable, with whom you can let down your guards. You have found it. Congratulations guys."

Hotch stood and thanked everyone for being there. "We're extremely privileged to have each and every one of you here to help us celebrate this night. I have to say that when I first met Emily almost 14 years ago, I never would have expected to be here today, married to her. As the others have said, she is an incredible woman and I cannot imagine my life without her. I trust her with my life, with my back, with my heart. Emily, I cannot wait to see what our lives hold but I'm so glad you'll be standing next to me when it happens." Hotch leant down and kissed his wife. When he stood back up he nodded to the DJ who switched on the song, "Waiting for an angel". Emily looked up at him and grinned. He nodded and took her hand, leading her to the dancefloor.

"I love you so much Aaron," Emily whispered in his ear. He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you too," he paused. "And everything I just said. I mean it. You are incredible." Emily blushed and leant on her husband's chest. She stood up straight and grinned. "We're married!" she cried out. Hotch laughed and nodded. "Yeah, we are. Agent Hotchner." Emily laughed. "Oh please don't. I'll stick with Agent Prentiss thank you." Hotch smiled and pulled her tight.

After they'd danced and made the rounds, it was time for them to leave. They were going to take a week off and honeymoon in Mexico. Once they'd said goodbye to everyone they walked out the door and into the limousine waiting to take them to the airport.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: It's now about four months since the wedding. Everyone's back at the BAU and having the usual fun. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Emily wasn't feeling 100% but that wasn't about to stop her from going to work. Hotch put his arm around her as they made their way downstairs to the car. On the drive to the office, Hotch looked over at her and frowned. "Honey, you really don't look well," he said. Emily shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine, seriously." He chuckled and patted her knee. They made their way upstairs and into the BAU. "Agents Hotchner," Strauss said as they walked into the office. They both nodded to her as they passed. "She's actually acknowledging us now," Emily smiled.

She stopped at her desk and sat down quickly, diving straight into the piles of paperwork. "Hey Emily!" Reid cried out, walking over to his desk. "Wow you really don't look well do you?" Emily rolled her eyes, "Thanks Reid. I appreciate it." He shrugged his shoulders. "Hey I just thought of something. Since you guys got married, I'm the only member of the team without my own office," Reid joked. "I know I'm going to regret it but what do you mean? I'm here, in the bullpen," Emily said. Reid took a sip of his coffee and shook his head. "No. Because when you get married there's the assumption of 'what's mine is yours and vice versa," so Hotch's office is yours too." Emily rolled her eyes. "Relax Reid, I'll be stuck here in the bullpen with you."

She paused for a moment and could feel her breakfast coming up. "Excuse me," she said running from her desk. Hotch had been looking out his office window and noticed Emily running out of the office. He walked downstairs. "Hey Hotch," Reid called out, "Is Emily ok?" Hotch passed Reid quickly, ignoring his question. He ran out of the office, past JJ and towards the ladies room. "Uh, JJ. Can you do me a favour? I can't go in there. Can you just check that she's alright?" JJ nodded and walked into the bathroom.

She found Emily sitting on the floor of a cubicle, leaning on the wall. "Uh, Emily. Are you ok?" she asked. Emily nodded, stood and walked over to the vanity. "I'm fine. I think I have a tummy bug is all." JJ held her hair back while she rinsed her mouth. "Hotch is outside. I think he was tempted to run in here," JJ chuckled. Emily smiled and stood up. "I think I might pack up some files and take them home. I'll work on them and bring them back in the morning." JJ nodded, agreeing that her friend needed some rest. "I'll tell Hotch I'll drive you home," JJ said, before walking out the door.

Hotch was waiting on the other side of the door. "Is she ok?" he asked JJ. JJ shook her head. "I'm going to take her home. I think she just needs some rest and fluids," JJ explained. Hotch nodded. "I can take her home though," Hotch said. JJ shook her head. "You've got meetings with Morgan and Strauss. You shouldn't cancel. I can take her home and make sure she gets some rest." Hotch nodded, "Agreed." Emily opened the door and Hotch walked over to her. "You ok?" he asked her. She nodded. "I just need to get home and lie down I think," she said. "Ok, JJ's going to take you home," Hotch explained. He turned to JJ, "Our doctor's number is on the fridge." JJ nodded, "I'll go grab your bag." Hotch pulled his wife close and kissed the top of her head. When JJ returned they said goodbye and Hotch watched as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

When they got back to Emily and Hotch's, JJ opened the door and walked Emily over to the lounge. JJ carried Emily's bag and some bottles of water upstairs. She set up some things on the bedside table, phone, water, wet towel. When she walked back downstairs, she helped Emily up and led her to the room. "Ok, well you're all set. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" JJ said. Emily shook her head. "It'll be ok. I think I just need some rest. We've been pretty much non-stop for the last few months. I guess my body's just throwing a fit." JJ patted her back. "Alright, well your phone is here, and water. Give me a call if you need anything." Emily nodded and thanked JJ for helping out. "Anytime Em." JJ walked downstairs and locked the front door behind her.

Emily woke up at about midday, feeling a lot better. She poured herself a glass of water then walked into the bathroom. She pulled it out of the drawer and went to the toilet. Five minutes later she heard the alarm and walked back into the bathroom. Sure enough, there it was. The strip. She was so excited she went to pick up her phone and call Hotch, but she stopped herself.

* * *

That night, Hotch came home a lot earlier than usual. He opened the door to their apartment and ran upstairs to the bedroom. Emily was lying on the bed asleep. He walked over and lay down next to his wife, and put his arm around her waist. She stirred and turned. "How you feeling?" she asked. Hotch raised his eyebrows. "I'm fine. How are you?" he asked. Emily sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Hotch rubbed her back and massaged her shoulders. "I'm confused, elated, emotional, still slightly nauseated, nervous, excited, ecstatic…" Hotch frowned. "What's going on?" he asked. Emily stood up and walked into the bathroom. When she returned she held it out. Hotch took it and jumped up on his knees. "Are you serious?" he asked, a smile spreading across his face. "I've taken 5 tests," she said, climbing back onto the bed. "We're going to have a baby!" he screamed. He still couldn't believe it. Emily, his wife Emily, was pregnant. He held her close and kissed the side of her neck. When he pulled away, she fell back onto the bed and laughed. "I'M PREGNANT!" she cried out. Hotch lay down on the bed and lifted her top, revealing her belly. He tenderly ran his finger over her skin, then kissed it. "I love you Emily," he said, reaching up and kissing her. "I love you too Daddy." Hotch smiled and kissed his wife again.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Just a "little" chapter. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Emily looked over at Hotch as he stacked the dishwasher. "Uh, honey. I know this is probably going to be a problem and I promise, you don't need to go," she started. Hotch stood up straight and frowned. "What is it Em?" he asked. Emily sighed and turned, leaning on the counter. "I made my appointment with the doctor and the only spot they had open was 11am, Tuesday," she explained. Hotch nodded and smiled as he reached for Emily's hand. "It's not a problem honey. I'll be there, I can move around some of my appointments and we can go together," he said.

Emily's jaw dropped. She hadn't thought it would be so easy to get him to go along. She was sure he'd say "Why don't you go to this one alone and I'll come to the next one," or something along those lines. Instead, he was agreeing to come. Emily leant forward and kissed him tenderly. When she stepped back she felt her eyes start to water and she whispered "Thank you."

Hotch felt horrible. His wife had told him about an appointment and when he'd agreed it evoked the same reaction as his marriage proposal. How hopeless a husband had he been so far if she was getting emotional over things like that? Why wouldn't he want to go? He'd missed out on so much when Hayley was pregnant with Jack. He didn't want to do the same with this one. Marriage AND baby. He loved Emily and had been consciously trying not to make the same mistakes that he'd made before but obviously he wasn't doing so well on that front. He huffed and pulled Emily into a hug. That was definitely going to change.

* * *

Hotch knocked on Dave's door. When he looked up, Hotch cleared his throat. "What can I do for you Aaron?" Dave asked. Hotch was a little worried. His friend was a great profiler so he had to of picked up on Hotch's nervous behaviour. "Uh, Emily and I have a family emergency this morning. We have to leave at about 10:30 and we most likely won't be back until one," he explained.

Dave was a little shocked but did his best to cover it up. He nodded and smiled. "Ok, I'll hold down the fort," he answered. Hotch nodded and smiled, before turning to leave. "Uh Hotch," Dave called out. Hotch turned and nodded. "Everything ok?" he asked. Hotch nodded. "Everything's fine. Just... just need this morning off," he answered vaguely. Dave nodded and smiled. "Ok. See you at one," he said. Hotch nodded and made his way down to the bullpen. Dave watched through the blinds as his friend stopped at Emily's desk. She nodded and stood, grabbing her purse in the process, then the two of them made their way to the elevators.

When it was clear, Dave went down to the bullpen to do a little investigating. Sure they all had work to do but this impromptu PI work was definitely more fun than typing his fifth preliminary report for local police departments. He stopped between Reid and Morgan's desks.

"Hey guys. Quick question, has Emily been acting strange this morning?" he asked. Reid looked at Morgan and shook his head. "Not any stranger than usual," he answered. Dave nodded. "Oh, except she's been racing down the hall every few minutes, and she's looking a little pale," Reid added. Dave frowned. Huh. "Ok, thanks guys," he said, making his way out of the bullpen. "Oh, I just thought of something weird," Morgan called after him. Dave turned and closed the distance between them. "Uh, Emily and I usually go to the gym to wrestle every week if we're in town. This morning, when she and Hotch first got here, I asked if she wanted to go this afternoon and Hotch jumped on me. He was pretty adamant that she didn't go," he explained. Dave nodded and pat his shoulder. "Don't take it personally," he teased. Morgan huffed and returned to his desk.

Dave's next stop was JJ's office. He opened the door and a pile of files almost knocked him over. "Uh, sorry Dave," she said sheepishly. Dave huffed and shook his head. "It's fine kiddo," he replied, waving his hand. "What can I do for you? Or did you just come here to practice your amazing obstacle skills?" she joked. Dave chuckled and shook his head. "I was just wondering if Emily or Hotch has been acting strangely lately?" he asked.

JJ shook her head as she thought over it. "Actually... come to think of it, Garcia and I wanted to go out this Friday night for drinks and Emily made up some lame excuse about Jack coming around... even though it's never stopped her before," she explained. Dave nodded and smirked, and JJ frowned. "Why do you ask Dave?" JJ asked. Dave shook his head and stood up again. "I'm sure we'll all find out when it's time," he said. He tapped the back of the chair and said goodbye. Separately, none of these things were any cause for concern, or in this case elation. But Dave was pretty certain what they all added up to. Now he just had to wait for the happy couple to grace him with their presence and confirm it all. Dave made his way back down the hall to the BAU.

* * *

It was about 1pm when Hotch and Emily returned to the office. The rest of the team was in the BAU room, sorting through some files. When they walked in the team looked up. "Are you ok?" Morgan said. Emily nodded. Morgan nodded as Emily took a seat. The rest of the team was grinning at her. At that moment Garcia walked in. "You called sir?" she said to Hotch who was putting something in the monitor on the wall.

He just nodded and picked up the remote. When he pressed play and the team realized what it was, they jumped up to congratulate the new parents. JJ gave Hotch a hug and Rossi shook his hand. Garcia bent in front of Emily and started humming the tune to "Life on Mars" by Bowie. "How far along are you?" JJ asked. "Uh, about 2-3 months," Emily said, touching her belly.


	12. Chapter 12

"Uh Hotch!" Morgan yelled out. He and Prentiss were in the BAU room sorting through paperwork when she felt the contraction again. Hotch came running down the hall and into the room. "What is it?" he said. He looked at Emily who was wincing and touching her belly. "It's coming?" he asked. Emily nodded. "Alright, just like we discussed. Let's go." Emily and Hotch made their way downstairs and into the bullpen. Reid grabbed the keys and met them at the elevator. Morgan ran into Rossi's office to tell him, then down to JJ and Garcia's offices to let them know. While Reid and Hotch got Emily to the car, Morgan grabbed Hotch and Emily's go-bags from his office and met the others at the car.

"How's it going back there?" Hotch asked, looking in the rear-view mirror. "I'm fine, just keep your eyes on the road!" Emily yelled. She screamed with pain, "Hotch, this is all your fault!" Hotch laughed. "Are you seriously laughing man? She's gonna kill me!" Reid said. "Kill you? Why would I do that?" Emily said, gritting her teeth with each contraction. "Proximity. Plus you're more likely to be able to kill me, even in your current condition," Reid joked. Emily scowled at him. "Not helping Reid."

By the time the others had arrived at the hospital, Emily and Hotch had been taken to the delivery room. Reid was sitting in the waiting room. When he saw the rest of the team get off the elevator, he stood up to meet them. Morgan gave the bags to a nurse and told her they were for Emily and Aaron Hotchner, then he joined the others. "How is she?" JJ asked. "Last I saw her she was swearing at Hotch. She really hurt my hand," Reid replied, stretching his fingers. "Oh poor baby," Garcia said sarcastically.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Morgan looked up as Hotch walked through the doors, still dressed in scrubs. "Hey guys," he said, not surprised that they were still there. "You wanna come meet the newest member of the BAU?" he asked, grinning. He led them down the hall to a private room. "Hey," Emily said, sitting up. "Wow, Emily, you look surprisingly awake," Garcia said. She smiled. "I'm going to take that as a compliment." Hotch picked up their new baby to show the rest of the team. "Guys, this is Charlotte," he said, beaming with pride. Emily patted his back, looking up at her daughter. "Hotch, can I?" Garcia asked. Hotch nodded and gently passed his daughter over. "So how do you feel Em?" JJ asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, putting her arm around her friend. "I feel fine actually. A little sore but… I mean, look at her. She's beautiful," Emily replied. Hotch stood near his wife and she put her arm around him. "She was awesome. I honestly don't know how you ladies do this but…" Hotch's voice trailed off and he looked down at Emily and smiled. "Oh, I think someone wants her mommy," Garcia said. Morgan carried Charlotte over to the bed and passed her to Emily. "Hey do you guys wanna go get some coffee?" Hotch asked. The guys all nodded, leaving the three girls alone in the room while Emily fed her daughter.

Emily pulled her bra up and Garcia smiled. "How depressing is it that you need to get knocked up to get boobs like that" she joked. Emily laughed. "I could do without them," she replied. "She's doing well already with feeding," JJ said, rubbing her hand over Charlotte's head. Emily nodded. "So Hotch is in love," Garcia said. Emily nodded and smiled, playing with her daughter's tiny hand. "It's funny seeing him hold her. He's always tough and cold but he melted when he first held her," Emily said to the girls. "Awww. Hotch is just a big softie isn't he?" JJ joked.

When Charlotte was finished feeding, JJ took her to burp her while Emily went to the bathroom. When she walked back out, the guys had returned. "You're up," Hotch said, walking over to his wife and putting his arm around her. She leant on his shoulder. "How'd she go?" he asked. "She fed. She pooped. She burped," Emily answered. "Can I get you anything?" Hotch asked. Emily shook her head. "I'm fine. I just need some sleep," she said. Hotch nodded. "I'm gonna head home and grab a shower and some food," he said. "Yeah, we should probably get going. Leave you guys alone," Morgan said. Everyone said goodbye and left the family. "Honey, you should go home and shower and get some sleep," Emily said. Hotch nodded and gave his wife a kiss. "I love you so so much," he said. "I love you too sweetie," she answered. Hotch stood and gave his daughter a kiss. "I'll be back soon," Hotch said to her. Emily nodded and lay down. Soon enough, she fell asleep.

* * *

Hotch opened the door to the apartment and held it open while Emily carried Charlotte in. "Charlotte, this is your new home," Emily said, holding her tiny daughter close. She walked into the lounge and placed her in the bassinet. Hotch stood beside his wife and they looked at their little girl. He kissed the top of her head, "We have a little girl!" he cried out, just above a whisper. Emily smiled and nodded. Hotch turned to face Emily. "Why don't I run you a bath and you can relax, and I'll get lunch ready," Hotch suggested. Emily grinned. "Oh you _are _the perfect man," she said. Hotch kissed her forehead and ran upstairs. Emily walked into the laundry and started unpacking the clothes from their go-bags.

When Hotch had finished, he came downstairs to get Emily. She was in the laundry putting the next load in. "Hey, hey hey," he said, "You're supposed to be resting," he said. "I am resting," she said. Hotch raised his eyebrows at her. "What? Resting for me means no running, no kick-boxing, no hmm hmm… But nothing about laundry," she said. Hotch smiled. "Well your bath is run madame," Hotch said, putting his hands on his wife's waist, "And your daughter is asleep. And your husband refuses to leave you alone until you go upstairs." Emily put her arms around Hotch's shoulders. "Yes sir Agent Hotchner," she said. She kissed him then walked upstairs. Hotch laughed and walked into the kitchen.

Emily reached the top of the stairs and walked into their bathroom. Hotch had run a bubble bath, with candles, and soaps. She switched on the CD and laughed. "The Strokes," she said to herself. She undressed and hopped into the bath, closed her eyes and sighed. Half an hour later, Hotch came into the bathroom. Emily looked up and smiled. "You are wonderful," she said. Hotch smiled. "For you, it's not difficult." Hotch sat down on the end of the tub, put some body wash on his hands, and massaged her neck.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I wasn't sure if this is how I wanted this to go but just read it and let me know what you think. Your reviews are really helpful. And I'd completely forgotten something I'd added in this story that makes it a little like another one. You'll work it out when you get to it.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Hotch put his hand on Emily's shoulder. "Honey, we should go," he said. Emily nodded and leant over Charlotte's crib, kissing her goodbye. They gently closed the door and Emily turned to Hotch. "Alright, let's go to work," she said. They said goodbye to Hannah and said they'd call if they got a case.

As they walked into the office, Morgan turned and said hello. "First day back hey?" Emily nodded. Hotch saw the file in Morgan's hand. "What've we got?" he asked. Morgan handed Emily the file and explained as she looked through it. "We're headed to New York?" she asked. Morgan nodded. "Better call Hannah," Emily said dejectedly. Hotch rubbed her back and she pulled her cell out and walked into the hall. When she returned the rest of the team had met in the BAU room. When she sat at the table Morgan patted her back. "Alright, Detective Brustin is waiting for us," JJ said. "Brustin?" Emily asked. JJ nodded and smiled. "Alright, so wheels up in 30," Morgan said. Everyone nodded and stood to gather their things.

* * *

Morgan sat across from Emily and waited until Hotch was out of earshot. "So does he know?" he asked. Emily frowned, "Does who know what?" Morgan rolled his eyes. "Does Hotch know about you and Cooper?" Emily's jaw dropped. "I'm gonna kill Garcia. And no, he doesn't know. I didn't feel the need to tell him. It's in the past," she said. "Ok," Morgan replied, "I'm warning you though. These things have a habit of coming out at the worst of times." Emily nodded, "I'll tell him. I just have to figure out when."

* * *

When the team arrived at the precinct, Morgan found Detective Brustin. "Hey Jack, how are you?" Emily said, stepping forward and shaking his hand. "Hey Emily. Good to see you again. Of course not under these circumstances but…" Emily nodded. Jack explained the situation and Morgan gave everyone their assignments. "Oh here's Cooper," he said as his partner walked into the station. Emily turned and there he was. "Cooper," she said, shaking his hand. She put her left hand in her pocket. "Uh, Hotchner and Morgan are coming with me to the first crime scene. Can you go with Rossi and Prentiss to the dump site?" Brustin asked. Cooper nodded before Emily could object.

* * *

The guys had finished at the first crime scene and were on their way back. "So Morgan, did Emily ever tell you what went wrong?" Brustin asked. Hotch looked in the rear vision mirror. "What went wrong where?" he asked. "A couple of years ago, just after you guys were here last, Cooper and Emily dated. Was pretty serious too. He proposed," Brustin answered, "Cooper never told me what happened." Hotch frowned and went quiet. Morgan looked at his boss nervously.

When they arrived back at the station, Hotch walked slowly into the office. Emily was posting photos of the crime scene on the board and going through victimology with Reid. "Hey, so we checked the scene. At the time of night that the un-sub strikes, it would be impossible to find any witnesses. It's a dark area, very little lighting, very few residentials…" Emily's voice trailed off. Hotch stayed silent and simply nodded. As the rest of the team joined them, Hotch remained quiet.

* * *

The team was calling it a night and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep. Even though they were married, Hotch and Emily stayed in separate rooms, helping them to focus on the case. Emily couldn't sleep. Hotch had barely said a word to her since they'd arrived back at the station. He was quiet through dinner and went with the others in the car. She knew she wouldn't get any sleep so she got out of bed and went to Hotch's room two doors down.

He opened the door and frowned. "You should be asleep Emily," he said sternly. "Uh, so should you," she replied, walking through the door and closing it behind her. "You've barely spoken to me all night. Even when you kissed me goodnight it was as though you had to force yourself to do it. What's going on Hotch?" Emily asked, walking over to the bed and sitting down. "We made a deal a long time ago that we wouldn't discuss personal issues on a case," he replied, sitting on the armchair in the corner. Emily rolled her eyes. "We also made a deal about a year and a half ago that we would be there for better or worse. And we made a deal about 13 months ago that we would put our family first. So spill," she replied.

Hotch sighed and sat forward in his chair. She had him with those last two points and he knew it. He cleared his throat. "Why didn't you tell me about Cooper?" he asked. Emily leant her elbows on her knees and covered her face. "Because it was a long time ago. Because he doesn't mean anything to me," she answered. "He proposed!" Hotch said. "Whether he meant something to you or not, you meant something to him." Hotch paused. "Does he know we're married? Does he know about Charlotte?" he asked.

Emily shook her head. "I haven't spoken to him in years. Just after we started dating I stopped taking his calls. I told him that I was dating someone very special to me and that I didn't want to start seeing him again. He got angry and stopped calling," she explained, "There was no need to tell him we got married or to let him know we have a beautiful little girl." Emily stood and walked over to Hotch, standing in front of him. He looked up at her, with a pained expression on his face. "You should've told me," Hotch said. Emily nodded. "I didn't think we'd ever see him again. Hotch," she paused, lifting his head, "I love you. You're the most important person in my life." He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. I just... I wish you'd told me so I didn't get blindsided in the car." Emily sighed. "I'm sorry honey," she whispered. He held her for a moment before stepping back. "Alright, we need to get some sleep. Go to bed Agent Prentiss," Hotch said. She kissed him quickly then left, gently closing the door behind her.

"You weren't breaking the rules were you Mrs Hotchner?" JJ said. She and Morgan were in the hall, talking about the press conference she had to hold the next morning. "Breaking a rule. But not _that _rule," Emily answered. "He knows?" Morgan asked. Emily nodded. "He knows what?" JJ asked. Emily rolled her eyes. "I skipped over some details when we had the "ex" conversation," Emily explained. JJ gave a knowing smile. "Cooper?" she asked. Emily nodded. "But he knows now," she assured them. "And how about Cooper. Does he know?" Morgan asked. Emily shook her head. "At the end of the case alright boss?" Emily said. Morgan nodded. "Goodnight guys," she said, leaving them to their discussion.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This is a continuation

* * *

The team had been in New York a couple of nights when they closed the case. The rest of the team was heading back to the hotel for dinner. Emily told Hotch she was going to get a drink with Cooper and fill him in.

They sat down at the table and a waitress came over. "Do you wanna get something to eat too?" Cooper asked. Emily shook her head. "I'm meeting the team for dinner," she explained. Cooper nodded. "I'll have a pint. Same?" he asked Emily. She shook her head again. "Just a lemonade for me please," she asked. Cooper frowned. "Ok so you didn't mean _drink_ when you asked me to meet you for a drink?" Emily shook her head. "So why no beer? You love beer," Cooper said.

Emily took a deep breath. "I had a baby." Cooper almost choked on his drink. "A baby? Wow. You're not here to tell me it's mine are you cause it wouldn't be a baby," he joked. Emily smiled and shook her head. "I, uh. She's almost four months old. Her name's Charlotte. She's got beautiful curly black hair and big brown eyes," Emily said, describing her daughter with a twinkle in her eyes. "So she's a mini-you," Cooper said, smiling. Emily nodded and took a sip of her drink. "So who's her dad?" Cooper asked. Emily took another deep breath.

"I have to confess something else. The last time we talked, I told you I was dating someone special." Cooper nodded and Emily continued. "Well I got married," she said. Cooper frowned. "So uh Prentiss?" he asked. "I use my maiden name for work." Cooper nodded. "So who is he? Let me guess. He's in a position of authority. He's gotta be an agent. You always said you'd probably end up with another agent. He's intelligent and handsome, athletic. But he's damaged. He's gotta be damaged, cause you like to fix people," Cooper said angrily.

"Coop," Emily said, trying to calm him down. "You know when I proposed you said you weren't ready, that you didn't think you ever would be. And now I find out that it wasn't that at all. You just didn't want me," he said, clearly hurt. "Coop," she said again, putting her hand on his arm. "Who is he?" Cooper asked. Emily took a deep breath. "It's Hotch. We got married almost 18 months ago," she replied. Cooper raised his eyebrows. "Hotchner? You married Hotchner?" Emily nodded. "I don't know what to say Em…" he paused. "Say congratulations. Say I hope you're happy," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "Saying no to you was hard, believe me. But it would've been harder if I'd said yes," she explained. Cooper stood up. "I have to go. It was _great _seeing you again Em. I hope you and Hotch have a long and happy life together." Emily turned and watched him leave the bar, then stood and left.

When she arrived at the restaurant, the team had already ordered. "I ordered you the steak," Hotch said as she sat down. Emily smiled and patted his leg. "How'd it go?" he asked, pouring her a glass of water. "It was fine. It's done," she sighed, leaning forward on the table. He reached over and rubbed her back. "You ok Em?" JJ asked. Emily nodded. "I just wanna get back home," she answered. _I have nothing left in this city_, she thought to herself.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I love birthday parties! That's all I'm saying. Please read and review.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Charlotte, Happy birthday to you," the group cheered as Charlotte blew out the candles on her cake. Hotch kissed his daughter's cheek and Jack leaned over and hugged her. "Happy birthday Charlie!" he said. Emily smiled and picked up her daughter. "Hey baby girl! You're 1!" Emily cried out, holding up one finger. Hotch stood and picked up the cake. "I'll go cut this hey?" he said. Emily nodded and passed Charlotte to Morgan.

She walked into the kitchen and pulled out the paper plates for the cake. "How many we got?" Hotch asked. "Uh, let's see team makes 7 plus my mom and step-dad, Sarah, your mom, and ours is fifteen including the birthday girl," Emily replied. Hotch started cutting the cake. "Can you believe she's one already?" Hotch said. Emily shook her head. "It's gone fast. The last 3 years has gone fast," she said, putting her arms around his shoulders. Hotch tapped her nose with an icing-covered finger and laughed. Emily wiped her nose and slapped his arm, then scooped some icing onto her finger, and tried to wipe it on Hotch. He dodged it but Emily put him in a strong-hold and wiped it on his cheek. Hotch reached up and put his arm around her neck and kissed her.

"Hey you two, stop the mushy stuff. The birthday girl wants her cake," Morgan joked, holding Charlotte. "See Charlie, I told you mommy and daddy are crazy," he said. "Mommy!" Charlotte said, throwing herself into her mom's arms. "Hey beautiful girl!" Charlotte gave her mom and big sloppy kiss. "You want some cake?" she said. Charlotte nodded her head. "Alright everyone, come get cake!" Hotch called out. He scooped icing onto his finger and licked it off. Emily smacked his arm and Charlotte copied. "Hey rugrat!" Hotch said, picking up a slice. "Alright, open up!" he said as he put a bite of cake in her mouth.

* * *

Most of the guests had gone. Emily and some of the others were in the kitchen, cleaning the dishes and wrapping up the leftovers. Reid walked into the kitchen, jumping and pointing. "What is it Reid?" Emily asked. "You guys have to see this," he said. The team followed Reid into the lounge room and found Hotch, asleep on the couch, with Charlotte asleep on his chest. He had a protective arm around his daughter and she was sucking her thumb. Emily giggled at the sight of her husband and daughter asleep. "That's classic," Morgan said as Garcia took a photo with her phone. "This is so getting framed!" she cried out. They walked back into the kitchen, where the washing up was finished.

"Wine anyone?" Emily asked. They all nodded and sat in the kitchen, drinking and talking. It was about 7 when Hotch walked in. "Hey you're all still here," he said. "Sorry man. Just keeping your wife company," Morgan said. Hotch smiled and put his arm around Emily. "Where's Charlotte?" she asked. "I put her in bed," Hotch answered. Emily nodded. The team stayed for a couple of hours, enjoying each other's company without the looming threat of an un-sub.

* * *

A couple of days later Hotch and Emily walked into the BAU. Reid and Garcia were sitting at Reid's desk in the bull-pen, talking. Hotch made his way up to his office and smiled when he found a package on his desk. He opened it and smiled. It was the photo Garcia had taken the night of Charlotte's birthday party. Hotch sat down and looked out the window where Emily was sitting. He smiled. He wasn't going to screw up this time. He was going to get it right. He was going to be a husband to Emily, a father to Jack and Charlotte, and then a profiler.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: The final chapter. This is more of an epilogue, quite awhile down the track. Please read and review and thanks for reading the story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Criminal Minds.

* * *

Emily paced back and forth in the airport. Their flight was supposed to have arrived already. She looked up at the screen. Their flight had landed. She walked over to the window and looked out at the planes on the runway. "Emily," she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned. "Oh Hotch!" she cried out, embracing her husband. She turned and hugged Jack. "How are you Jack?" Emily asked. "Alright. How are you?" Jack asked his step-mom. Emily nodded, knowing if she tried to speak she'd cry. "Let's go huh?" Hotch said, putting his arm around Emily. She nodded and the three of them walked towards the elevator.

It was a one hour drive from the airport to Emily's father's house. When they arrived, Emily pulled the mini-van up in the driveway. The three of them got out and Hotch grabbed their bags. They walked inside and Hotch put the bags down at the bottom of the stairs. He put his arm around Emily as they walked down the hall towards the kitchen. "Daddy!" Charlotte cried out, running towards her dad. Hotch picked up the bright six year old. Emma, their two year old soon followed, hugging her dad's leg. Natalie, Emily's step-mother, stood and welcomed them. Hotch gave her a hug. "How are you Natalie?" he asked. She nodded. "Coffee?" she asked them. Emily nodded and they sat at the table. Charlotte stood next to her mom. "What's up Charlie?" Emily asked. "Can we go into the backyard and play?" Charlotte asked. Emily nodded and the three kids ran outside. "Uh, now that you're back, I might go check on your father," Natalie said, standing up. Emily nodded. Hotch turned to his wife, "Wanna go outside? Fresh air will be good for you," he said. Emily nodded and he led her out to the back deck. They leaned on the railing and watched their kids play. Jack pushed Emma on the swing while Charlotte climbed on the jungle gym.

Hotch looked over at Emily and put his arm around her. "Hey," he said. He started massaging her shoulders and she closed her eyes. "Talk to me honey," he said. Emily took a deep breath. "I just…" she paused, trying to hold back the tears, "I can't lose him. He's my dad," she cried. Hotch pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. Emma fell off the swing and started crying. Emily ran down the stairs and picked her up. "Hey, hey. Sh," she said, trying to calm her daughter down. Hotch walked downstairs and joined his family on the lawn. He sat next to Emily and kissed Emma's head. "Hey baby girl," he said. Charlotte came over and sat on Hotch's lap. She touched his face. "Daddy you need to shave," she said. Hotch laughed and touched her face, "So do you." Emily smiled and put her arm around Jack.

* * *

It was around 2 in the morning when there was a knock at the door. "Emily," Sandy said. Hotch sat up and called out for Emily's parent's maid to come in. She poked her head in the door. "Sorry to wake you Monsieur Hotchner, but Miss Natalie asking for you," she said. Hotch nodded and rubbed Emily's back. "We'll be there soon," he said. Sandy nodded and closed the door. Hotch turned and pat Emily's back. "You awake?" he asked. Emily groaned. "Honey, we've gotta get up. It's time." Emily sat up and started crying. Hotch put his arm around her and kissed her shoulder.

Hotch and Emily made their way up to the third floor, to Natalie and Simon's room. Natalie and the kids were waiting in the hall. "You ready?" Hotch asked Emily, taking her hand. She nodded. Natalie and Emily walked into the room together.

A half hour later, Emily opened the door to the room. She saw Hotch and the kids sitting on the floor. Charlotte and Jack had their heads on Hotch's knees and Emma was sitting on Hotch's lap. They were all asleep. Emily sat next to Charlotte and rubbed her back. "How you doing?" Hotch asked, his eyes still closed. Emily smiled and looked over at him. He turned his head and smiled back. "I'll be ok." Hotch nodded. "Should we get them to bed?" Emily nodded and stood up. She bent over and picked Charlotte up. "Cmon big girl. Let's get you to bed," she whispered to her daughter. Hotch pat Jack's back. "Let's go buddy. We've got a big couple of days." Jack stood up and dragged himself to the staircase. Hotch stood up, with Emma in his arms. They carried the girls downstairs and put them back into bed. Hotch took Emily's hand and led her out of the room. "I've gotta make a few phone calls. You go to bed and I'll be there soon," Emily said. "You sure?" he asked, "I don't mind keeping you company." Emily shook her head. "I need to do this on my own." Hotch nodded and kissed the top of her head. "I love you Em."

* * *

Hotch woke up at about 8 and sat up. Emily hadn't made it back to bed. He got up and walked next door to Jack's room. He was already up. He went to the girls' room and found Emily on Emma's bed, holding her close. They were still asleep. Charlotte walked in and stood next to Hotch. He looked down at his little girl and smiled. "Should we wake mommy up?" she asked. Hotch shook his head, picked up Charlotte and closed the door behind them.

An hour later Emily walked downstairs and found everyone in the lounge room. Natalie was sitting on the lounge, holding Charlotte. Emily put Emma down and she ran over to her grandmother. Hotch walked over to Emily and handed her a cup of coffee. "Thanks," she said. Hotch put his arms around her waist and looked at her. "How you feeling?" he asked. Emily nodded. "Tired. Sad. Confused. I don't know," she said. Hotch nodded and ran his fingers through her hair.

* * *

Hotch had just put the kids to bed. He walked into the room he and Emily were sharing and found her lying on the bed. He climbed up and put his arm around her waist. "Hey," she said wearily. "Hi," he replied. Emily rolled over to face him and buried her face in his chest, letting out the tears she'd been holding in the past two days. She'd felt like she needed to be strong for her kids, and for Natalie. But now that they were alone, and they'd made it through the funeral, Emily felt like she could finally let go. Hotch held her as she cried. When she'd run out of tears, she sat up. Hotch rubbed her back, waiting for her to talk if she wanted to. "I," she started, rubbing her eyes. "What is it honey?" Hotch asked, sitting up and kissing her shoulder. Emily shook her head. "Nothing. I just. I need to have a shower," she said, sliding off the bed and walking over to the ensuite. Hotch lay back on the bed. His phone started ringing.

"Hotchner," he said. "Hey Hotch. I'm sorry to do this today of all days. We have a case and we need a fresh set of eyes," Rossi said. "Hey Dave. That's fine. Send everything you have to my handheld and I'll look it over," Hotch answered. "We appreciate it," Rossi said, "So how's Emily?" he asked. Hotch paused, looking towards the bathroom, and moved out onto the balcony so Emily wouldn't overhear. "She's uh. She's not talking," he said. "Are you sure she's not just trying to protect the kids?" Rossi asked. Hotch shook his head. "I don't know. I know she's trying so hard to not be emotional but I thought once it was over she'd talk to me," Hotch said. Rossi paused, "She'll talk when she's ready Aaron," Rossi assured his friend. "Let me know if there's anything we can do from here," he said. Hotch thanked him and they said goodbye.

When he walked back in Emily was in the bedroom, putting her nightgown on. "Rossi?" she asked, pointing to the phone. Hotch nodded. "He's sending some stuff over for me to look at. They just need a hand," Hotch explained. Emily nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I just need to print these off," he said, kissing the top of her head. Emily nodded and lay down.

Fifteen minutes later Hotch still hadn't returned so Emily stood and went to find him. Emily smiled when she found him at the kitchen table with the case files spread over it. Emily walked over and stood behind him. She put her arms around his shoulders and kissed his neck. "What are you doing here?" he asked protectively, "You need your sleep." Emily smiled, appreciating his care but ignoring it nonetheless. "I couldn't sleep. This the case?" she asked. Hotch nodded. "Six victims. He hits them with his vehicle and leaves them on the road. The first victim survived but none since," he explained. Emily picked up a couple of the photos and leafed through them. "Looks like vehicular rape," she said, "They're all female victims, they have a type, and he's not just hitting them with his car. He's backing over them and running over them again." Hotch nodded and pressed the speed-dial on his cell. "Rossi," he answered. "Hey Dave, you've got me and Emily here," Hotch said. "Emily. How are you?" he asked. Hotch looked over at her and smiled. "I'm fine. Thanks Dave," she answered. "We've got some thoughts on the case," Hotch said.

After they'd called Dave, Hotch and Emily went back upstairs to get some sleep. Hotch put his hands on Emily's shoulders as they made their way over to the bed. As they collapsed on the bed, Emily curled up in Hotch's arms. "Thanks Hotch," she said. "For what?" he asked. "For looking after me," she answered. "Always Emily."


End file.
